Equipment Hygiene Protocols Updated

Fencing equipment quarantine times reduced and cleaning protocols updated following a review of the latest available information on COVID transmission.

BF has performed a review of the latest information available in relation to the risks associated with the handling, transfer and sharing of equipment in fencing.

As a result the recommended equipment cleaning protocols and measures to be adopted by fencers and clubs have been updated and can be found here: BF Return to Fencing – Equipment Cleaning Protocols v9th April 2021.

Quarantine times for shared equipment have been reduced to:

2 days: jackets, breeches, plastrons, chest protectors, lames

3 days: gloves, masks, body wires, spools, scoring boxes, ground wires, weapons (metal or plastic), coaching plastrons/sleeves

As an alternative to quarantine, to support more frequent session delivery, cleaning and disinfecting protocols are also set out. Personal equipment (all items of clothing, masks, gloves, lames, chest protectors, weapons, swords and bodywires) should not be shared within sessions.

As a reminder, cleaning protocols are only one way to reduce risk as fencing restarts, and further adaptations and guidelines for clubs and members are published here.

Where non personal equipment has to be touched by more than one person within a session (eg spools, scoring boxes) clubs are expected to have a suitable sanitising protocol. Before touching shared equipment or surfaces it is strongly recommended that fencers remove their fencing glove, sanitise hands before and after touching the shared surface, then replace their fencing glove.

It is expected that the information in this document will form part of mitigation planning within Club Risk Assessments.

If you have any queries regarding this and other announcements please contact us using this form. Many of the queries we receive are answered in our guidance and resources here so we strongly recommend reading this in advance of contacting us.

As always, we will continue to update our COVID-19 advice here, with dedicated pages for clubs and coaches.

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