COVID-19 Guidance
Following changes to restrictions in Ireland and Northern Ireland, the SUI has developed new guidance in accordance with governmental restrictions.
Summary of Restrictions
| Republic of Ireland – Current – as of 7th of June | Northern Ireland – Current – as of 24th of May | |
| Travel | Inter-county travel can resume. | You should avoid visiting places where there is a chance that large numbers of people will gather and crowds will form.
If you go somewhere and there are crowds which will make social distancing difficult, consider going somewhere else instead. When travelling you should walk, cycle or use private transport, shared only with members of your household where possible. If you’re travelling from within the Common Travel Area and staying overnight in Northern Ireland, you should take a rapid lateral flow device test (LFD) before you begin your journey. You should only travel if the test is negative. You should also take an LFD test on days two and eight of your stay. You should not travel to Northern Ireland if you have COVID-19 symptoms, or have received a positive COVID-19 result. |
| Caving | Caving can take place in a group of people from a maximum of 2 households, up to 6 people.
Fully Vaccinated Cavers (2 weeks after final dose) may go caving with any number of other fully vaccinated cavers |
Caving can take place in a group of people from a maximum of 2 households, up to 6 people.
Fully Vaccinated Cavers (2 weeks after final dose) may go caving with any number of other fully vaccinated cavers |
| Organised activity outdoors | In an organised club setting with COVID-19 controls in place, outdoor activities such as SRT Practice or other training (excluding caving itself) can take place in groups of up to 15.
Organised outdoor activity i.e. organised SRT Practice with qualified professional leaders guiding clients are also permitted. The maximum group size is 15. COVID-19 controls must be in place. |
The maximum number of participants, including coaches and support staff will be limited to 500 people and the maximum number of spectators will be limited to 500 people.
Speleological Union of Ireland’s advice is that group sizes should be kept small, ideally less than 10, and should not exceed 15. This excludes caving (see guidance above) |
| Climbing walls | Climbing Walls are Open. | Climbing walls are Open. |
| NGB Course Provision & Leadership | Permitted | Permitted |
Northern Ireland
SUI – Northern Ireland Coronavirus Restrictions Update – 30-09-2021
Ireland
In Ireland relaxation of some restrictions mean that from May 10th inter county travel can take place.
If you are lucky enough to live in close proximity to a cave, we ask that you follow government restrictions and the safety precautions outlined in our COVID-19 documentation, in addition to respecting landowners wishes regarding access. Please be mindful of the associated risks involved with caving, and the risks that you may cause to yourself and others in the event of an accident and associated call out.
Peer training in the open air may take place with up to 15 people if social distancing can be adequately maintained.
Due to the potential risks associated with the sport of exploring natural or man-made caves and the social distancing challenges due to the enclosed nature of caves, not normally associated with other “Outdoor” activities, the SUI recommend that Caving can take place in a group of people from a maximum of 2 households, up to 6 people.
Fully Vaccinated Cavers (2 weeks after final dose) may go caving with any number of other fully vaccinated cavers.
We’d like to remind cavers to be aware of changes to their fitness levels due to successive lockdowns and consider building their fitness slowly to avoid accident or injury. Please account for this, and the potential risks to rescue services, when choosing any initial caving trips (for instance start with shorter trips and descents first, working back up to previous fitness levels)
We request that you respect government guidelines at all times, changes to government guidance may not be reflected immediately in our own guidance and supercedes any guidance given here.
Additional Documentation
The SUI has developed a Return to Sport Protocol to reduce the risk of infection among participants and make sure that cavers protect themselves and others.
If you have further questions regarding the SUI COVID-19 Strategy please contact our COVID-19 Officer at: studentliaison@caving.ie
COVID-19 Return to Sport Procedure
The Attendance Template below should be used by club COVID-19 officers to enable contact tracing and ensure participants minimise risk of infection.
SUI Covid-19 Attendance Form Template
SUI Training Team Members are required to complete the below form and submit to the SUI Covid-19 Officer and SUI Training Team Covid-19 Officer before resuming Training.