It’s great that we get to climb after 3 months of lockdown! Finally, there’s motivation to be healthy again! However, there have been some changes that need to be made because the Coronavirus is still out there.
You would have noticed that your Australian climbing gyms have asked that you not use powder chalk and instead use liquid chalk. This is because using liquid chalk lowers the amount of loose chalk in the air and can act as a surface transmission for the Coronavirus. Liquid chalk generally contains isopropyl alcohol as a quick-drying agent. Some hand sanitizers use this same ingredient as a disinfectant. That being said, liquid chalk has yet to be proven to have an effective sanitizing quality. Thus, it would be ideal to sanitize your hands with proper hand sanitizers between climbs as the climbing holds act as a surface that the virus may be transmitted on. Too bad some hand sanitizers moisturize at the same time though. O Friction, how elusive you are.
Another point to take note is that our climbing gyms have been tasked to ensure a safe climbing environment for us all. Let us as a community help them out by doing the following things:
1. Stay home if you’re feeling unwell.
2. Perform regular hand hygiene when in the climbing gym.
3. Maintain social distancing. Keep 1.5m away from fellow climbers.
4. End your sessions on time allowing staff to conduct their area cleaning.
5. Be considerate and cancel your bookings ahead of time so that other climbers may enjoy a session.
We are very fortunate to be slowly moving towards regular climbing. Let us not take for granted what we have. Let us not live in fear of this virus but maintain vigilance.
Happy sending!
