COVID-19 Safety Protocols for Ohio State Championships
UPDATE as of Wednesday, October 7
With the Ohio State Championships fast approaching, we wanted to address the current health guidelines in place for the upcoming event. The FFWCT will be following all state required guidelines for players, spectators and staff. Below are all precautions that are mandatory and will be in place for the event on November 7 & 8, 2020.
Anyone attending the tournament must conduct daily symptom assessments before arriving to the park. Anyone experiencing symptoms MUST stay home.
Coaches, volunteers, athletic trainers, and officials must wear face coverings at all times, and players must wear face coverings when not on the field of play.
In addition to the guidelines below, we are encouraging teams and spectators to:
- Eliminate congregating before, during and after games
- Only teams that are currently playing or the teams that will be playing the next game should be near the fields
- Leave the complex in between non back to back games
- A minimum of six feet of space in all directions must be provided between seated groups. Groups are not to exceed four (4) individuals or exclusively members of a single household with more than four (4) individuals.
MANDATORY HEALTH GUIDANCE RULES FOR THE PREVENTION OF COVID-19
You can read the full standard health protocols here for more information.
Players, Coaches, Athletic Trainers, and Officials
Players, coaches, athletic trainers, and officials must
conduct daily symptom assessments before each practice
or game.
• Anyone experiencing symptoms must stay home.*
• Coaches must (1) Participate in COVID-19 education developed for them by the Ohio Department of Health, and (2) Educate their players on how to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 using resources provided by the Ohio Department of Health. This training can be found at: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/responsible-restart-ohio/sector-specific-operating-requirements/sector-specific-operating-requirements
• Promote good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.
• No congregating before or after practices or games by players, coaches, athletic trainers or officials is permitted.
• Coaches, volunteers, athletic trainers, and officials must wear face coverings at all times, and players must wear face coverings when not on the field or court of play, except for one of the reasons stated in the Director’s Order for Facial Coverings throughout the State of Ohio signed July 23, 2020 (https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/publicorders/Directors-Order-Facial-Coverings throughout-State-Ohio.pdf) or as it may thereafter be amended. Coaches and officials are not required to wear facial coverings when on the field of play during games and practices to allow the use of whistles.
(Written justification must be immediately provided to local health officials, upon request, explaining why an athlete, coach, or volunteer is not required to wear a facial covering when not on the field of play.)
• Players, volunteers, coaches, athletic trainers, and officials must strictly follow Ohio’s face coverings Order when out in public in order to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 and potentially spreading it during sports activities.
• Coaches must have a parent/volunteer help monitor/ ensure social distancing on teams of young children.
• Coaches shall identify players at higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19, such as those with asthma, diabetes or other health problems, and take extra precautions to protect them.
• Event sponsors, coaches, and participants must review protocols for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Spectators
• Spectators must conduct daily symptom assessments.
• Anyone experiencing symptoms must stay home.*
• Family members must sit together, socially distanced from other individuals/family groups.
• Six-feet social distancing must be maintained between individuals/family groups
• No congregating before or after practices or games is permitted.
• Spectators must wear face coverings at all times except for any of the allowable exceptions stated in the Director’s Order for Facial Coverings through out the State of Ohio. (https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/
publicordehttps://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/rs/Directors-Order-Facial-Coverings-throughout-State-Ohio.pdf)
Practices/Games/Tournaments
Six-feet social distance must be maintained between individuals except when necessary on the field or court of play.
• Players, coaches, and officials are not to physically contact each other before or after practice, pregame and competitive play (i.e., greetings, team huddles, high-fives, congregating, etc.).
• Limit time spent on activities where players are in close proximity for extended periods of time (e.g., repeatedly practicing corner or penalty kicks in soccer; rebounding drills in basketball).
• Facilities, teams, and clubs must ensure that facilities have adequate space for social distancing for players, coaches, athletic trainers, officials, parents/guardians, and spectators off the field or court of play.
• No congregating before or after practices or games is permitted.
• Prior to competitive tournaments, tournament organizers must notify the local health department.
• If a Sports Venue allows spectators, personnel from a local health department, the Ohio Department of Health, or any person charged with enforcing the Sports Order (an “Inspector”) must be allowed access to the venue during the sports event. The Sports Venue must cooperate with the Inspector in permitting an inspection of the event and venue, and must provide any information requested relating to compliance with the Order. If the Inspector determines that the event is not proceeding in compliance with the Order, the event shall immediately terminate and all participants and spectators must vacate the Sports Venue.
• Athletes at cross country races are limited to a total of 150 per race (smaller numbers are encouraged), and spectators must comply with social distancing, including at the finish line.
Equipment
• Equipment and personal items must have proper separation and must not be shared. If equipment must be shared, proper sanitation must be performed between users.
• Do not share towels or facial coverings.
• Do not share water bottles or other drinks.
• Do not share food.
Facilities/Venues
• Designate 6-foot distances with signage, tape, or by other means for people in lines and elsewhere.
• Increase frequency of cleaning and sanitizing per CDC Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection guidance on high contact areas/hard surfaces, including snack counters, door handles/hinges, etc. https://www.cdc.gov/
coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfectingbuilding-facility.html
• Develop a spectator pathway that allows for physical distancing as spectators move from parking, through box office lines, ticket scanning, and security screening to their seats.
• Seating must be assigned, in staggered rows and sections, in groups of no more than four people, unless members of the same household. Groups must be separate by at least 6 feet in each direction.
• Outdoor spectators are limited to the lesser of 15% of fixed seating capacity of the venue or 1,500 total.
• Indoor spectators are limited to the lesser of 15% of fixed seating capacity or 300 total.
• Time must be allotted between practices, games and events sessions to allow teams and spectators to exit fields/facilities prior to new teams and spectators arriving and for proper sanitizing for shared spaces and high-touch surfaces (benches, equipment, etc.).
• Organizers of sports tournaments must follow applicable guidance for venues (including grandstands) in which the tournament is held.
• Promote good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette. Flyers and signs are available at coronavirus.ohio.gov (https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/ responsible-restart-ohio/Posters-and-Signs/).
• Make hand sanitizer available at convenient locations.
• Train, implement, and enforce hygiene and handwashing with staff.
• Locker rooms, restrooms, weight training rooms, and athletic training rooms must be cleaned and sanitized between each use. Use must be staggered. Individuals must maintain social distancing as much as possible while in these rooms. Face coverings must be worn at all times while in these rooms.
• If playing inside, ensure ventilation systems or fans operate properly. Increase circulation of outdoor air as much as possible, such as opening windows and doors unless doing so poses a safety or health risk.
• Venues must follow all other requirements included in the Director’s Order that Provides Guidance for Youth, Collegiate, Amateur, and Professional Sports and the Responsible RestartOhio Guidelines for Outdoor and Indoor Entertainment Venues.
• Food concessions operations must adhere to Ohio’s guidance for Restaurants, Bars, Banquet & Catering\ Facilities/Services available at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
• Designate a compliance officer responsible for compliance of public health requirements.
• Establish one-way entries, exits, and aisles; require\ spectators to enter and exit gates or doors closest to assigned seats. Establish a plan to allow for social distancing when spectators leave, including during inclement weather for outdoor venues.
• Monitor elevators and escalators to ensure compliance with social distancing standards.
• Limit entrance to hospitality suites to ensure that physical separation can be maintained for both indoor and outdoor viewing sections.
• Establish one-way entry and exit in restrooms.
• Communicate with spectators before each event the importance of staying home if sick, the face covering requirement, and the need to maintain physical separation; install signage on hygiene, physical separation, and face covering.
• Communicate reminders of physical separation, face coverings, hygiene, and health symptoms through public announcements during the event.
• Have a written operations plan, prepared in consultation with the local health department.
Team Travel by Bus, Etc.
• Individuals traveling together by bus, etc., must wear a face covering and social distance where possible while in the vehicle.
• Conduct a pre-travel symptom and temperature check immediately prior to departure.
Travel
• For out-of-state travel, follow the COVID-19 guidance of the state and local public health jurisdiction to which the team is traveling.
Suspected and Confirmed Cases
• Immediately isolate, and seek medical care for, any individual who becomes ill or develops symptoms.
• Contact the local health department about suspected COVID-19 cases or exposure.
• The affected person should seek COVID-19 testing as soon as possible. Teams, schools, and clubs should work with parents to ensure they have access to testing through their healthcare providers or direct them to testing options.
• Coaches/administrators must work with the local health department to identify individuals who were potentially exposed to help facilitate contact tracing. This includes, but is not limited to, athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, parents and other support personnel.
• A team, school, or club must notify all athletes and parents/ guardians associated with the affected team regarding a positive test. Athletes and families must be reminded of proper daily health screening protocols.
• If the affected individual participated in competitive play, the team is responsible for notifying any opponents played between the date of the positive test and 2 days prior to the onset of symptoms. If the teams, schools, or clubs reside in different counties, the health departments in each county should be notified to help facilitate effective contact tracing.
• An individual who tests positive for COVID-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, must not return to sport activities until a documented medical exam is performed clearing the individual to return to play. The documented medical exam must\ specifically include an assessment of the cardiac/heart risk of high-intensity exercise due to the potential of myocarditis occurring in COVID-19 patients. More information on this issue can be found at https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/ articles/2020/07/13/13/37/returning-to-play-aftercoronavirus-infection.
• Follow protocol for cleaning and disinfecting if a COVID-19 case is identified at the venue.
• Players, coaches, officials or other individuals who had close contact (within six feet of an infected individual for at least 15 minutes), or who had direct physical contact with the person (e.g., who were coughed on or sneezed on by the infected person), must self-quarantine for 14 days following exposure based on CDC guidance.*** Individuals may return to play afterward if they have not had any COVID-19 symptoms.
