Covid-19 era pool playing

One Pocket Ghost

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Ghosttown
We can use this thread to communicate anything that would be good to be shared between us re. playing pool/One Pocket during this Covid-19 pandemic.

This is from the website of the Simonis billiard cloth company....some info for those with tables at home re. disinfecting the tables cloth >>>

SAFETY PLAY
Pool halls are opening up in the United States.
Keep things clean and use basic precautions:
- Wash your hands
- Don't touch your face.
- Keep your distance. 1 person at the table at a time.
- Balls can be wiped with +65% or higher alcohol and then re-polished.
- Hard surfaces can be wiped with +65% or higher alcohol.
While we cannot guarantee that the following procedure will render the cloth completely free of contamination, we can be certain that it will help:
- Using a spray bottle that can produce a fine mist, use 65% or higher alcohol (I have some 90%), mist this over the table so it lightly covers the cloth, not wet! Let it flash off (evaporate).
- Be certain that the cloth is not wet before you resume play. Wet cloth will develop holes quickly because of hydrostatic pressure breaking the threads.
It should only take a couple of minutes for the alcohol to evaporate. The higher the percentage of alcohol, the faster it will evaporate.
 

baby huey

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Ghost: I've been thinking about alcohol on table cloth and experimented a little and it doesn't stain or impair the cloth at least so far. I doubt I can convince our health department about this intervention but I'm gonna try. Thanks
 

beatle

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it is almost always spread person to person through the air. cleaning helps but mostly feel good. and in an enclosed room all are going to be exposed if someone has it. washing your hands or not. masks help a lot more.
there hasnt been any cases from take out food. so that says that.

simple simon. if you let yourself be within the range of an infected persons breath droplets, you can catch it. that range can be from one to 20 feet or more depending on how far out they cast it. the 6 foot rule is just an approximation so people dont freak out, and about the amount of feet that most times is the major danger zone.
 

lll

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vero beach fl
it is almost always spread person to person through the air. cleaning helps but mostly feel good. and in an enclosed room all are going to be exposed if someone has it. washing your hands or not. masks help a lot more.
there hasnt been any cases from take out food. so that says that.

simple simon. if you let yourself be within the range of an infected persons breath droplets, you can catch it. that range can be from one to 20 feet or more depending on how far out they cast it. the 6 foot rule is just an approximation so people dont freak out, and about the amount of feet that most times is the major danger zone.
COVID-19 on surfaces
National Institutes of Health found that the virus can live "in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel."

In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging. Current evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials.

Experts agree that thorough and frequent hand washing as well as following best practices on disinfecting and cleaning surfaces are the best steps to prevent the spread of the virus.
.......
the bolded above is from me
that means a good cough or sneeze and your rails are contaminated from the droplets for days unless cleaned right after a cough or sneeze from an infected person
 

beatle

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yea larry but you arent playing with someone that coughs and sneezes. and they really havent found cases where contact of surfaces from previous people are causing the virus to spread to others. it is possible but not likely.
and there would be only few virus particles on the table where there needs to be multiple ones to be easy infected.
still possible.

if it was true you wouldnt be able to go into any store to shop for food as you will be touching things and would only be safe with full medical gear.
but i wont go into any poolroom or contained space for awhile but it is because there are people in it. the guy behind the counter even if across the room is more dangerous.
and food from the store sits in the garage for two days or goes into the garage fridge for awhile before it gets touched.
i wear a mask and gloves when i go to the store during off hours.
 

One Pocket Ghost

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Tomorrow I'll be having a semi-friendly :) One Pocket session with onepocket.org bro #Cruncher/Matt - he's coming to town for the day...last time we played each other was 3 years ago, and at my age I'm heading down-hill, so I'm hoping his game hasn't improved any since then. 👻
 

lll

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ghost
do you plan on wearing a mask?
has chris’s spread players by not using some tables?
you are braver than I am
i am not sure I want to be in an enclosed area with people I don’t especially if they are not wearing masks
good luck / have fun/hope you win :giggle: / and be safe
 

bobt64

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Green Valley, AZ
Here's what our rec association is doing.

To play you must sign up in advance, they do have an on line process.
only 2 players per table
no spectators
you must use your own chalk
play is limited to 2 hours then a clean-up is done. Balls and tables are wiped down.
We have 3 rooms only 1 of which is open for the now

I have played a few times but it sure feels different, a little surprised they didn't require masks.
 

Scrzbill

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Eagles Rest, Wa
Predictions on deaths through the summer if the virus levels off at the levels of infection today. 800-1000 a day. 200000 by end of summer. That is deaths, not including the painful more than flu like symptoms.
 

beatle

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about 8,000 die every day in the u.s. . so that the virus adds about ten percent to the death rate.
 

One Pocket Ghost

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ghost
do you plan on wearing a mask?
has chris’s spread players by not using some tables?
you are braver than I am
i am not sure I want to be in an enclosed area with people I don’t know especially if they are not wearing masks

good luck / have fun/hope you win :giggle: / and be safe

Not playing at Chris's Larry - playing at my friend's house...

As for Chris's...they opened last week, and I stopped by for the first time yesterday just to check things out...their covid-era policy is that everyone, players and workers, must wear a mask...the other new rule is: spectators are no longer allowed - you can only come in if you're going to play.
 

Masta Cruz

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Fresno, CA
Here in the Central Valley at one of our pool halls, we had two private 9b tournaments not open to public; 25$ entry and 100$ entry the last two Saturday’s. I was looking forward to face cover usage because I purchased a comfortable neck/face cover that is also for sun and you pull up over your nose and mouth. I find it very comfortable for pool playing compared to ear loop masks.

But come tournament day not one of the fifty or so players had any sort of face covering. It was business as usual. No one cared about virus transmission. Everything was as it was before. Eating drinking hand shakes etc. I was the only one wearing mine the majority of the day before I finally gave up on it.

Despite the virus transmission dangers it was fun to play competitive pool again.
 

sorackem

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I placed second in the 47 player
Well done.
I stopped in HT's last Tuesday for about 40 minutes. Wanted to say hi to some friends and see what Oscar & Ernesto had been doing with the place.
Almost no-one wearing masks. Slightly busy there.
If I would have stayed to play, I know that in the back of my mind would constantly be the nagging concern about caution; proximity, aware of other people's movements and appearance, etc. Concentrating on the game would have been a less than ideal continuity.
 

12squared

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Fort Collins, CO
I tried playing while wearing a mask for the 1st time and found it very difficult. Need to find another solution...

Masta C, would you mind posting a pic of the mask you used? Thx.
 

beatle

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if you are older and or have ailments you have to be dying to play pool when its crowded.

i can see going in when they first open and few or none is in and hitting some balls on the back table.
 

12squared

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Fort Collins, CO
if you are older and or have ailments you have to be dying to play pool when its crowded.

i can see going in when they first open and few or none is in and hitting some balls on the back table.
That's my plan, not to play tourneys but to start small playing a weekday afternoon til 3. 👍
 

Tobermory

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San Francisco, CA
Chris, was it fun enough that you are going to keep going into crowded pool rooms, virus be damned, or did you come away thinking twice or three times about whether it is worth the risk? Please be careful...I need you to survive this pandemic so we'll be able to lock horns again many many times in the years to come.

Here in the Central Valley at one of our pool halls, we had two private 9b tournaments not open to public; 25$ entry and 100$ entry the last two Saturday’s. I was looking forward to face cover usage because I purchased a comfortable neck/face cover that is also for sun and you pull up over your nose and mouth. I find it very comfortable for pool playing compared to ear loop masks.

But come tournament day not one of the fifty or so players had any sort of face covering. It was business as usual. No one cared about virus transmission. Everything was as it was before. Eating drinking hand shakes etc. I was the only one wearing mine the majority of the day before I finally gave up on it.

Despite the virus transmission dangers it was fun to play competitive pool again.
 

Masta Cruz

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Mar 18, 2011
Messages
48
From
Fresno, CA
I tried playing while wearing a mask for the 1st time and found it very difficult. Need to find another solution...

Masta C, would you mind posting a pic of the mask you used? Thx.

Sure, I believe it’s called a neck gaiter? It’s very breathable and comfortable for me. I’m able to sort of bunch it up a bit at the top and give it extra slack so it doesn’t pull down as I shoot. I’ll try to attach an image, hope it might work for you too.

094BBEF5-66CC-449A-BB5C-10C816D69E3E.jpeg
Chris, was it fun enough that you are going to keep going into crowded pool rooms, virus be damned, or did you come away thinking twice or three times about whether it is worth the risk? Please be careful...I need you to survive this pandemic so we'll be able to lock horns again many many times in the years to come.

Honestly i hate to say but it was fun enough to continue if/when the opportunity presents itself, I’m waiting for any word of a one pocket event in the bay or in Sacramento to attend.

I guess the way I justify to myself taking the risk to return to the pool hall (and gym) was that since March when I was furloughed I participated in a near perfect personal quarantine. Luckily I am a huge videogame enthusiast and that helped time pass very easily. But I’ve been called to return to work the end of this month, to be back around other human beings coughing and sneezing in an office setting and I decided if I have to risk it there, I might as well risk it having a little fun as well.

I also realize by going to crowded pool hall and gyms I am part of the problem. But I do my best to wear my face cover and keep my hands clean whenever possible. I was a germaphobe long before it was cool.
 
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