Returning to caving

[bagpuss]

What are people's thoughts about returning to caving? For those in clubs have you make any Covid specific rules?
Specifically interested to know if people are suggesting the wearing of masks underground and if so if anyone has found a comfortable mask to wear? Also saw that the government are now going to be offering twice weekly home lateral flow testing to all households. We currently home test twice a week already as it was offered to parents when schools returned. Obviously the lateral flow tests are 100% foolproof, but wondered if clubs would take the view that they should be done in the advance of a trip?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56632084

 

[2xw]

I've returned to caving with members of my household, or with students who have had a lateral flow test the same day.

I wear a buff underground so not been wearing a mask

 

[pwhole]

If the government also offers ?500 a week cash for anyone found to be positive, I'll take the test. Otherwise they can kiss my ass. Last I heard the lateral flow test was only 50% accurate, when done by experts, which is essentially useless. So now we have to trust the great British public to test themselves? Many of them can't even walk in a straight line, and given how many apparently want to go on holiday (all the 'news' channels can talk about today), trusting that they did their test properly is a waste of time - most will put it in their ears to pass.

 

[Badlad]

Quite a few cavers parked up on Leck over the weekend.  Gavel, Notts 2, Shuttleworth seem popular for folks starting on easier trips.  I expect these are mostly groups of friends rather than any sort of club meet. 

I've been caving with up to six friends generally keeping a bit apart but not being very strict about it.  Tend to look at the much lower case rates and vaccination rates more which indicate much lower risks.  Flipping a neck Buff up works well especially if cold.  I think you have to consider the vulnerability of those involved including those they live with and make sure everyone is happy with the level of risk you are taking.  Last year we were a bit concerned about caving with friends with kids who had gone back to school or students who had escaped from uni back home.

Certainly for me the risk of caving with a few mates is far far lower than being at work in either of the jobs I do.

Good caving 

 

[pwhole]

It's difficult for me to guess as I don't have all the numbers, but I would estimate that over half of our membership are 40 or younger, and they're invariably the more regular cavers too. So it's still not really feasible to organise 'club' trips yet, at least until the next review dates (subject to vaccination progress!) - though there are some smaller groups that have been bubbles for some time, or some who see so few people generally that they're less risky, so in those cases, fair enough.

 

[Speleofish]

If you really want to avoid Covid in a confined space, a buff is probably ineffective. It will stop you coughing infected lumps of mucus over your mates and will stop big lumps coming in the opposite direction. It won't do anything useful against aerosols or airborne viruses. Even a normal hospital mask isn't much use, you really need a mask that's at least FFP2 if not FFP 3.

That doesn't mean I'm arguing against going caving! If there were accessible caves round here (and if they were very, very wide and very, very easy), I'd be going caving too. I'm merely suggesting that a buff is rather a psychological barrier.

 

[pwhole]

This is the problem for me - my main project requires SRT and then digging, both in fairly tight spaces, and requires four people at a minimum, ideally six, but we'd all be on top of each other due to the dig logic- though to be fair it's pretty well-ventilated just outside the dig area. Even the easy caves (for me) aren't necessarily large, I've done them a hundred times, and I can't wash my kit properly at home either as I live in a flat with no garden, so I need a stream or the club hut! I did have a 'dry' trip planned for today that had to be cancelled at the last minute, so next opportunity is Weds, asteroid strikes permitting.

 

[HardenClimber3]

It'sgood to hear people ARE GETTING OUT AGAIN.
CPC rigged various entrances to Alum (Diccan, Dolly Tubs, SE and NW, plus options for Upper Long Churn, Wilson's, Borrin's) at the weekend and we had quite a turnout, with people splitting off in small groups (and spread ove 3 days) and generally finding spacious / draughty places. We had a great time with lots to do and the ability to keep apart but see friends.
I think the main issue is that people are well and don't have someone else isolating at home (this is a bit more than govt advice). I'm sure Tim is right that work is a bigger risk for most people
I'd agree that Buffs are really a bit of a token gesture... there has been some objective work on that. (If I need a mask in day to day life, I wear a respro bandit - the key to any mask is a good seal, and if it is working you will have some resistance to breathing)
I suspect virus recovery from 'fomites' in a caving context is likely to be low.
We (CPC) had a reasonable number of trips before Christmas through to the start of January as a club and that seemed to work well if you chose the right venues. (bit of a heuristic trap there)
We didn't wear masks.

 

[mikem]

Buff's own statement on the matter:
https://www.buffusa.com/buff-community-statement

 

[bagpuss]

Quite a few cavers parked up on Leck over the weekend.  Gavel, Notts 2, Shuttleworth seem popular for folks starting on easier trips.  I expect these are mostly groups of friends rather than any sort of club meet. 

I've been caving with up to six friends generally keeping a bit apart but not being very strict about it.  Tend to look at the much lower case rates and vaccination rates more which indicate much lower risks.  Flipping a neck Buff up works well especially if cold.  I think you have to consider the vulnerability of those involved including those they live with and make sure everyone is happy with the level of risk you are taking.  Last year we were a bit concerned about caving with friends with kids who had gone back to school or students who had escaped from uni back home.

Certainly for me the risk of caving with a few mates is far far lower than being at work in either of the jobs I do.

Good caving 

Thanks. Nearly all our club has school age kids which complicates things somewhat. I am within the clinically vulnerable category so have been very cautious to date and didn't return to caving last year. I appreciate that lateral flow tests aren't hugely accurate, but it would at least be some sort of measure that people could take prior to caving, they have worked in terms of picking up cases with no symptoms and then backed up with a positive PCR test. 

 

[Fjell]

We have kids going on the bus to school, and a 92 year old in the house. Decided just to go caving for the last year.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwimpYju7OfvAhWC_7sIHVU-B1sQtwIwAXoECAUQAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYUluLIr98qc&usg=AOvVaw0KAHkWiPNpD8iE8NUKZ6k4

 

[PeteHall]

Also saw that the government are now going to be offering twice weekly home lateral flow testing to all households. We currently home test twice a week already as it was offered to parents when schools returned. Obviously the lateral flow tests are 100% foolproof, but wondered if clubs would take the view that they should be done in the advance of a trip?

Prevalence of Covid-19 is now less than 1 in 1000 as far as I can tell from the latest data.

If you cave with 1000 people, statistically, one of them will have Covid. If they are well enough to cave, that number will go down.

Caving with a handful of friends really is one of the most low risk things you can do from the perspective of Covid.

There is no such thing as zero risk in life, so you might as well just get back underground and enjoy yourself. 

 

[tomferry]

So had my first trip out yesterday, was only around the upper series at Swildons very glad I went feel a lot more human again now ! Bring on the next ones I say!

 

[Speleofish]

In reply to Mikem, I think Buff are merely saying that their products are reasonable face coverings which meet the very low standards set for these things. This is a very different proposition from providing effective filtration of airborne viruses. Whether Buff's 'filters' are better, I don't know. However, I doubt if any device works once it's wet.

If I were going caving, I wouldn't bother with a mask but I'd pick my partners.

 

[Fjell]

Best article in the Groan for a long time:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/apr/06/letting-go-my-battle-to-help-my-parents-die-a-good-death

 

[pwhole]

That was fabulous, if difficult to read. My parents are the same age as the writer's, but so far, so healthy - but I also have that looming feeling of dread getting ever closer. They too aren't that scared of dying, as they do believe in God, but it's not the dying per se that's the problem - it's how. And how we will deal with it.

Strong stuff 

 

[ttxela2]

I don't think any sort of mask would last long on me underground if I were doing anything more strenuous than easy walking passage however good my initial intentions might be. It's unlikely I'll be going underground until overnight stays are possible in any case - although that's not long now. I suspect an easy solo trip will be my first jaunt.

 

[Paul Marvin]

Lateral flow test are an indication but not 100% guys, my wife works for the NHS and although not common people do get through with a negative that have COVID 19

https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/feature/how-reliable-are-lateral-flow-covid-19-tests

 

[pwhole]

The FDA in the US recently announced that lateral flow tests should literally be thrown in the bin, and they wouldn't approve or support their use:

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/stop-using-innova-sars-cov-2-antigen-rapid-qualitative-test-fda-safety-communication

Part of the problem is with the self-testing of LF - if folks don't do their swab properly, or follow the instructions to the letter, it won't be accurate. Given that many folks find that sort of thing uncomfortable or distasteful at the best of times, and not wanting a positive result is invariably in most people's minds, the chances of a half-hearted negative result are very high. A friend of mine is a schoolteacher and they all have LF tests every three days, but they've still had positive cases come in via pupils or parents and staff had to self-isolate. I recently spent a week in hospital, and had three Covid tests when I was in, two days apart. The first was a pre-op test, 12 hours before, but I have no idea whether it was PCR or LF - ideally I was meant to be negative for the op, but a PCR can't be done that quickly - but they operated. Anyway, I didn't see that first negative result on paper (or verbally) until four days later, the day before discharge. So if the other two tests were PCR, I wouldn't have got the results until last week. No-one's rung or texted me since, so I have to assume they were all negative. But I was very confident they'd done me properly as a nurse did all the swabbing, and she went all the way in.

 

[mikem]

The lateral flow tests are more to give the government comparable statistics on whether overall numbers are increasing or decreasing, rather than reliable individual results.