Golf clubs seeking assurances from the government that they will still be able to allow staff to maintain their golf courses during the current coronavirus lockdown have been told that greenstaff can continue to carry out ‘essential maintenance’ during this period.
Following a request from BIGGA seeking clarification on the matter, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport issued a short statement that said: “For security and essential maintenance reasons greens staff can still attend work.”
BIGGA’s board is currently seeking further clarification on what ‘essential maintenance’ means in terms of permitted activities, such as cutting grass, irrigation and general course works, and how many staff will be allowed on site.
A spokesperson for BIGGA said: “At this moment BIGGA is working tirelessly for our members; we’re working closely with our golf industry partners to get further clarification from government and also to support all those people in the golf industry that are affected by the crisis.We’ve been working closely with our colleagues at The PGA, GCMA, The R&A and other greenkeeping associations across the world to provide guidance and assistance through these difficult times.”
BIGGA’s website has a dedicated COVID-19 section with all the information it has to date on working practices for greenstaff.