Statement regarding Coronavirus 15th March 2020

Owing to the escalation of the Coronavirus the Trustees & CEO of the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre have decided to close the Centre until the Coronavirus is under control.

As a result  there will be no riding or equine therapy classes for RDA riders, school groups, party groups, Kindergarten sessions, Pony Club sessions, nor classes for children & adults.

This is not a rushed decision and it has been taken to help prevent the spread of the virus amongst 

our Pony Centre community and  those in our local community.

We are all living through a difficult and unknown period of time and it is hoped that our users will understand and continue to support our charity  through the unprecedented steps that we have taken.

Mary Joy Langdon CEO

Statement regarding Coronavirus 7th March 2020

The Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre is asking for the support of all of those who visit the premises in minimising the risk of COVID-19 to its community.

We urge the public not to panic, and to keep abreast of official information as set out by Public Health England and the World Health Organisation. Links to up to date guidance can be found by clicking one of the following links.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

We ask that visitors and clients practice ‘Good Hygiene’ to prevent the spread of disease by

Washing your hands frequently

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.

Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.

Maintain social distancing

Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

Why? When someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.

Practice respiratory hygiene

Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

With this in mind, and in line with guidance from Public Health England please refrain from entering the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre site affected area for any reason if you fall within any of the following categories:

returned from mainland China in the past 14 days regardless of whether you have any symptoms of COVID-19;

returned from the towns of Bertonico, Casalpusterlengo, Castelgrundo, Castiglione D’Adda, Codogno, Fombio, Maleo, San Fiorano, Somaglia and Terranova dei Passerini in the Lombardy Region and Vo in the Veneto Region of Italy, Daegu or Cheongdo in the Republic of Korea or Iran since 19th February 2020 regardless of whether you have any symptoms of COVID-19;

returned from Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand or the Republic of Korea and have or develop the symptoms of COVID-19 (that is, a fever, cough or shortness of breath); or

returned from north Italy (defined by a line above, and not including, Pisa, Florence and Rimini), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar since 19thFebruary 2020 and have the symptoms of COVID-19 (that is, a fever, cough or shortness of breath).

If you are bringing a group to the Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre, we will ask you to check with each of those in the group that they do not fall within any of the above categories and confirm this to us before you arrive.

If you fall within category (c) or (d) above and develop symptoms of COVID-19 whilst at the Pony Centre please inform us immediately and follow advice. If you develop such symptoms within 14 days of visiting the Pony Centre, please inform the us as soon as possible [[email protected]] 

If any volunteers or users has concerns then they are under no obligation to attend.

We usually welcome a number of people everyday to the Pony Centre and we realise that this approach may disappoint or inconvenience some of you. However, we are taking the current situation very seriously and you will appreciate that our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our users and staff. 

To help us stay open please remember to wash your hands [or sanitise] in line with government?NHS guidelines.

As the COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly, we ask you to be prepared that normal sessions for school groups and other activities may have to be cancelled.

We thank you for your understanding of our position.

Advice from RDA UK as at 13 March 2020

Government advice

Following the meeting of the Government’s Cobra committee yesterday, when it was agreed that the UK will move to the ‘delay’ stage of its response, RDA’s policy is that Groups, volunteers and participants should continue to refer to and follow the current official Government advice. You can find this, and more information, here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public. This page will always contain the most up to date information. We will therefore not be reprinting this information in our own messages, to avoid out of date advice circulating.

The NHS website also provides guidance on the symptoms, how the disease is spread, and how to avoid catching or spreading germs. You can view this at www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

https://pcuk.org/coronavirus-advice/

https://www.bhs.org.uk/advice-and-information/coronavirus-covid-19

https://www.myrda.org.uk/rda-uk-coronavirus-update-as-at-17-march-2020/