1. Tasmanian Debating Union
  2. Information
  3. Policies
  4. COVID-19 Safety Plan

COVID-19 Safety Plan

The health and safety of members of the debating community is the TDU's highest priority. In order to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission during debating evenings, and to ensure that all students can participate safely in debating, the following measures will be in place during the 2024 Schools Competition.

Requirements for entry to debating evenings

Attendees at evenings of debating are encouraged, though not required, to wear face masks. Debaters should, if comfortable, remove their face mask while delivering a speech or offering a point of information.

Please do not attend debating if you:

  • have COVID-19;
  • are experiencing cold- or flulike symptoms; or
  • have been directed to quarantine by public health officials.

Any person who does not comply with these conditions will not be permitted to enter the host school.

Virtual debates

If debaters cannot attend debating due to the entry requirements above, or do not feel safe or comfortable attending an evening of debating in person, the TDU will arrange for their debates to take place via Zoom. We ask that coaches notify the Competition coordinators of any requests to hold debates virtually as early as practicable and no later than midday on the day of the debate, unless exceptional circumstances apply.

Please note that if debaters have contracted COVID-19 and are not well enough to participate in debating, we do not expect them to attend via Zoom and can arrange a postponement. Similarly, if debaters are isolating and do not have access to the technology required to participate in a debate via Zoom, their debates may be postponed. However, if teams cannot attend in person but are able to field a team via Zoom, simply preferring to debate in person will not ordinarily be grounds for postponement.

Contact tracing

You must notify the TDU if:

  • you take a COVID-19 test within 48 hours of attending debating, and the result, regardless of when you receive it, is positive; or
  • you take a COVID-19 test more than 48 hours after attending debating, and the result is positive, if you first developed symptoms within 48 hours of attending debating.

Attendees at debating who would like to be notified of possible exposure to COVID-19 may provide their first name and email address to TDU officials on arrival. They then be notified by email of any COVID-19 cases present in the debates they attended. Notifications will not include identifying details about the COVID-19 case.

Maintaining hygiene

All attendees at debating, including audience members, will be asked to sanitise their hands upon arrival at host schools and again when entering individual debate rooms.

Please contact Kathryn Ellis at president@tdu.org.au if you have any questions or concerns about this plan.