It was great to hear on Sunday from the Queensland COVID presser that there were 0 new detected cases, and that the past few days all detected cases had been linked to known clusters with the individuals involved being in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period. It brings some hope that restrictions may ease further this week (even early), pending on what might have filtered in from south of the border.

Unfortunately, with the existing orders in place here in Queensland, and NSW looking like it will be months before they have their COVID situation under control, the list of cancelled events has continued to grow. The planned martial arts demonstration on behalf of the Japanese Consulate this Friday has been postponed. And Uni Sport Div 1 Games, which includes Kendo and Judo competitions, have been cancelled. While it is frustrating that months of careful preparation has been cast aside, we can all redouble our efforts towards events that are still on track, such as the September regional grading opportunity for Kendo, Iaido and Jodo, grading opportunities for Jujutsu, and the QKR December seminar.

This week, while the current Queensland restrictions are in place, you will still need to wear a mask to and from the dojo if you have been down in one of the declared SEQ local government areas. Your mask will need to still be worn while training, unless you are doing high intensity physical work, and please try to be mindful of social distancing where possible. This is most important when setting up your training gear — make sure you leave sufficient space between yourself and others, and try to make your gear as neat as possible. Where needed, training will be modified for you to accommodate any public health directives. And please continue to scan both the QHealth QR code as you enter the CBRC, and the Club based one so that we can easily take our attendance roles. Your efforts make it easer for everyone to focus on our training, rather than getting swamped in administrative matters.

It is also that time of the year where USQ is celebrating the mid-year graduating classes with ceremonies and their preparation being held over the next fortnight. The only potential night that may be affected at this stage it next Thursday (26 August). However, from this week there may be some disruption to the parking lot, as large marquees are due to be erected just near the tennis courts.

Things may change over the next few weeks. Make sure you keep up with the relevant discipline chat channels for any announcements. And always, if you have a question about anything regarding training, please ask your instructor or discipline coordinator.

Hope to see you in the dojo this week!