To the Kendo Community,

Kendo Ontario values the health and safety of its members. There have been dramatic developments across the country affecting professional sports, schools, businesses, etc. over the past couple of days. In the end, each club will determine its own schedule and guidelines for practice based on a number of factors, but it is strongly recommended that clubs take the more cautious approach, particularly in the intermediate term.

Information provided by the Canadian Kendo Federation can be a good reference point from which to start with any review. Most important, it is critical to stay alert and aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak from legitimate sources to enable good decisions in the face of a rapidly changing environment.

In light of the risks associated with the spread of COVID-19 and the guidelines provided by national and local public health authorities, Kendo Ontario has decided to cancel the upcoming Junior Godo-Keiko event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 at the Haber Community Centre in Burlington.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your ongoing support during these challenging times.

Feel free to contact me if further information is required.

Bryan Asa
Kendo Ontario

From the Canadian Kendo Federation:

Notice: Guidance and advisory for events being organized and held in the Canadian Kendo, Iaido and Jodo community.

In consideration of the current global spread of COVID-19 cases, and for the health and safety of our members across Canada,  the Canadian Kendo Federation advises that events scheduled for March and April be postponed or canceled if possible.

For the Canadian National Kendo Championships in July, we do not recommend that participants make flight and accommodation bookings until further notice. The CKF will reassess the situation at the end of April again regarding the scheduling.

For events that cannot be canceled, we advise announcing the following:

  • Anyone having any symptoms of COVID-19 (ie. fever, cough, fatigue, difficulty breathing, pneumonia) refrain from attending.
  • Anyone who has traveled abroad within the last 14 days to any country that is under a travel advisory self-isolate. As of March 12th, 2020, these countries are: China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Spain.

We advise clubs to follow these guidelines as well for people joining practices.

Based on the risk assessment published by the Government of Canada, kendo gatherings and kendo tournaments would be considered high-risk events, with a large number of people gathered in close proximity. Here are additional resources to help direct decision-making.

Specific to our community, the list of affected and high-risk countries cover many of our community members’ backgrounds, so special care should be taken.