Highland Lakes

Keeping the tennis, handball, and  utility courts locked, disabling the basketball courts, and cordoning off playgrounds was part of the Club’s response to the dangers of community transmission of the coronavirus. While the necessity of these actions was widely understood and supported, it was disappointing to receive repeated calls and emails requesting that the tennis court nets be installed and the courts unlocked. The requests were, of course, rejected.

The following is the statement issued on April 3, 2020, from the United States Tennis Association regarding tennis during this public health emergency:
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USTA Statement on Safety of Playing Tennis during the COVID-19 Virus Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating challenges for everyone across the globe. American tennis players are asking for guidance regarding the safety of playing tennis, especially when social distancing and space sharing issues are now paramount.  

Based on the recommendations of the USTA COVID-19 Advisory Group, the USTA believes that it is in the best interest of society to take a collective pause from playing the sport we love.

Although there are no specific studies on tennis and COVID-19, medical advisors believe there is the possibility that the virus responsible for COVID-19 could be transmitted through common sharing and handling of tennis balls, gate handles, benches, net posts and even court surfaces.

As a result of this, the USTA asks that as tennis players we need to be patient in our return to the courts and consider how our decisions will not only affect ourselves, but how our decisions can impact our broader communities. In the meantime, we encourage everyone to stay active and healthy with at-home exercise and creative “tennis-at-home” variations. 

We look forward to our return to tennis in a safe manner and will provide updates as new information becomes available. By practicing all the recommended guidelines presently put forth by our medical experts, that return will happen in the soonest possible timeframe.
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We could not agree more with USTA’s statement. The Club’s courts and playgrounds must remain off-limits during this dangerous public health emergency, and will reopen only when Governor Murphy’s Executive Orders on gatherings and social distancing are lifted, and firm guidance about the safety of reopening our facilities is received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

Our best wishes to you during these extraordinary and challenging times,

Jack McLaughlin
General Manager