COVID-19 ACTION PLAN (CAP)
East Bay Lacrosse
COVID-19 Control Plan
Please see the below bullet points for a summary of East Bay Lacrosse Safety Protocols and the full plan below.
- Face masks (non-gaitor style) must be worn by all athletes, coaches and spectators at all times. The only exception is for water breaks taken at least 6-feet apart from other individuals.
- Coaches, staff, athletes, officials and spectators who are symptomatic or have been in close contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive per RIDOH guidelines and/or anyone under quarantine per RIDOH guidelines may not attend games, practices or any related sports activities.
- Pending test results: Anyone waiting for COVID-19 test results is not permitted to participate in games or practices.
- East Bay Lacrosse will conduct screening checks, largely through Team Screen, prior to the start of each practice session and game for all participants in the League. More information will be forthcoming regarding the screening application.
- All participants in the League must comply with RIDOH guidelines with respect to travel: https://covid.ri.gov/covid-19-prevention/travel-tofrom-ri
- Each team will keep an attendance sheet for every practice and game.
- There will be a limit of 2 parents/guardians per athlete, along with any underage siblings, permitted on Barrington town fields.
- Any athlete that violates RIDOH guidelines or policy set forth by RIYLL and East Bay Lacrosse, will be expelled from the League at the discretion of the East Bay Lacrosse Board of Directors.
- East Bay Lacrosse will continue to maintain and update their protocols as the season progresses in accordance with CDC and RIDOH guidelines, as well as coordination with Rhode Island Youth Lacrosse (RIYLL).
FACE MASKS AND COVERINGS:
Face Coverings: Face coverings must be worn in accordance with current executive orders. Coaches, staff, officials, volunteers, players, spectators and any individual who enters an indoor sports facility or who plays a sport must wear a face covering at all times in accordance with current executive orders and RIDOH regulations. This includes wearing a face covering during practices, scrimmages, competitions or other active play.
School coaches, staff, volunteers, players and spectators must wear a face covering in accordance with Back to School RI guidance. Athletes are encouraged to bring extra face coverings and change into a clean, dry face covering in case their face covering becomes wet or soiled while engaged in sports activities.
- East Bay Lacrosse coaches will maintain an extra supply for each team if there is a need to distribute additional face masks as the need arises (i.e. in the event of loss or damage).
- Players are encouraged to clean their facemasks between practices, or to dispose of it between uses (if disposable).
- Mouth guards should be kept in athletes’ mouths at all times during practices and games. When removed, mouth guards should be kept in a protective case, and cleaned before future use.
STABLE GROUPS:
Organizations and individuals that operate sports leagues, camps, and clinics (including all interscholastic, “pick‐up” games, and other informal athletic activities) are strongly encouraged to organize players and participants into “stable groups.” The term “stable groups” means the same individuals, including players, coaches, staff and volunteers, remain in the same group over the course of the entire program. Participants should not change from one group to another. When stable groups are not engaged in active play with one another, the stable groups should maintain a minimum physical distance of six feet between stable groups.
Parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to choose one stable sports group for their child to participate in during the sports season and to not allow a child to participate on more than one team or with more than one sports organization. Youth and adult sport organizations are strongly encouraged not to allow members to participate in more than one team, league, or camp per sports season.
- East Bay Lacrosse will encourage teams where possible to develop practice pods. These smaller groups of players will remain consistent throughout the season and will not interact with each other or get in close proximity to each other while on the field. Attendance records will reflect any pod designation where applicable.
COVID‐19 TESTING:
Athletes, coaches, and staff taking part in sports activities are encouraged to obtain a COVID‐19 test weekly, except in cases where they have tested positive within the past 90 days. Rhode Islanders can schedule a free COVID‐19 test for themselves or dependent children on portal.ri.gov regardless of whether they have symptoms or insurance. All state sites require an appointment. Same day Binax testing is also available at the former Jos. A. Bank location in Barrington. More information about testing can be found on the RIDOH Testing webpage.
- Coaches, staff, athletes, officials and spectators who are symptomatic or have been in close contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive per RIDOH guidelines and is under quarantine may not attend games, practices or any related sports activities.
- Pending test results: Anyone waiting for COVID-19 test results is not permitted to participate in games or practices.
- Any family that violates RIDOH guidelines or policy set forth by RIYLL and East Bay Lacrosse, will be expelled from the League at the discretion of the East Bay Lacrosse Board of Directors.
- All participants in the League must comply with RIDOH guidelines with respect to travel. See https://covid.ri.gov/covid-19-prevention/travel-tofrom-ri
SCREENING:
Any person exhibiting signs of illness and any person who has been exposed to a person with COVID‐19 must be excluded from the activity in accordance with CDC and RIDOH guidelines at https://health.ri.gov/diseases/ncov2019/. All players, staff, coaches, volunteers, etc. must be screened for symptoms related to COVID-19 prior to the beginning of each practice or game.
- East Bay Lacrosse will conduct screening checks prior to the start of each practice session and game for all participants in the League.
- The Team Screen application will be used for the majority of screenings. This is an automated process wherein parents will receive a secure link to complete the player’s screening.
CONTACT TRACING:
Activity Organizers must keep rosters of all participants with appropriate contact information and make that information available upon request by state officials, local boards of health or their authorized agents. Should Activity Organizers fail to completely and promptly cooperate with health officials, operators and organizers risk closure or suspension of a league’s practices and/or games.
- Each team must keep an attendance sheet for every practice and game.
- Attendance sheet must list all players on the team with the name of at least 1 parent/guardian and phone number for the parent/guardian.
- Attendance sheet must be dated for each practice/game and marked off as to which players are in attendance.
- Attendance sheet must be kept for at least 14 days from date of practice/game.
- Following each game, the Visiting Coach must provide the Home Coach with their attendance sheet for that game.
- It is recommended that the Visiting Coach make 2 identical attendance sheets and keep 1 for themselves.
- Game Attendance Sheets must be kept by the home team for a minimum of 14 days.
SPECTATORS:
All spectators allowed are subject to COVID‐19 safety protocols including, screening, physical distancing, sanitization, and capacity limits for the sporting venue. Sporting venues may impose additional conditions or restrictions based upon the sporting venue’s ability to comply with applicable executive orders, regulations and guidance.
- There will be a limit of 2 parent/guardians per athlete, along with any underage siblings, permitted on Barrington town fields.
PHYSICAL DISTANCING:
Six feet of physical distancing should be maintained between all players, coaches and participants during practices and active play when possible. When players, coaches and participants are not engaged in active play (e.g., on the bench or on the sideline), a physical distance of at least six feet must be maintained.
POSITIVE CASE RESPONSE:
If a player, coach, official or member of a team, sports organization, or a stable group tests positive for COVID‐19, all members of the team or group, who have been in close contact with the individual who tested positive for COVID‐19 will need to quarantine in accordance with Executive Orders and directions from the RIDOH. Visit RIDOH website for the latest quarantine and isolation information.
If RIDOH identifies a positive COVID‐19 case or outbreak connected to an athlete, coach, official, or sports team or organization, all activities associated with that case or outbreak should immediately cease, and all participants and organizations should fully and promptly cooperate with RIDOH case investigation and contact tracing, and follow the instructions provided from RIDOH regarding the need to quarantine and when activities may resume.
All out‐of‐state participants in youth, adult and school sports should adhere to current executive orders regarding the need to quarantine prior to participation in any sporting activity. All individuals who have tested positive for COVID‐19 should cooperate with the RIDOH and advise other close contacts to do the same and follow RIDOH’s guidance to limit the spread of COVID‐19.
CLEANING & SANITIZING:
Frequent handwashing or hand sanitizing should be promoted with all participants engaged in sports activities and spectators. If soap and water are not readily available, hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol may be used. Handwashing and/or sanitizing should occur upon entering and leaving an athletic facility and before, during, and after the sport activities. Athletes and coaches are encouraged to avoid backslapping, hugging, handshakes and fist bumps.
- There will be no shared equipment – further, picking up of balls with hands is discouraged. Any other equipment (cones, shot blockers, ball buckets, etc.) will be sanitized after every practice session as needed.
MODIFICATIONS TO PLAY:
There will always remain an inherent risk in participating in sports. To minimize the risk of COVID‐19 transmission, coaches, leagues and other participants engaging in any sporting activities are strongly encouraged to identify measures that can be taken to significantly limit contact and increase physical distancing between players. These include:
- Modify play and practice as much as possible to keep players spaced six feet apart for most of a game or practice.
- Stagger team arrival and drop‐off times or locations or put in place other protocols to limit contact between groups, guardians and spectators as much as possible. Examples include increasing the amount of time between practices and competitions to allow for one group to depart before another group enters the facility, allowing for more time to clean the facility between uses. Staggering entry times for athletics and spectators or designating entry and exits for each organization and/or spectators.
- Shorten activities, practices, and game play or perform the activity with fewer participants to the extent possible.
- Eliminate or reduce sharing of equipment or clean shared equipment between uses.
- Incorporate additional protective equipment, whenever possible, to further reduce the spread of respiratory particles or contact.
- East Bay Lacrosse will continue to maintain and update their protocols as the season progresses in accordance with CDC and RIDOH guidelines, as well as coordination with Rhode Island Youth Lacrosse (RIYLL)
- East Bay Lacrosse has also requested 15 minute intervals between games this season to allow for less overlap during transition times.
TRANSPORTATION / RIDE SHARING:
Coaches, volunteers, staff, and other team or stable group members should not transport any athlete(s) who are not in their immediate household. In the event that transportation or ride sharing is necessary due to an emergency situation, all parties must wear a face covering over their nose and mouth, and space seating as feasible to maintain maximal distance from each other. It is recommended that the vehicle have external air circulated by opening windows or through the vehicle ventilation system.
For additional information and/or to address any COVID-19 related matters, please do not hesitate to contact: eastbaylacrosse@gmail.com
Safety Manager: Brett Owens, MD
Compliance Managers:
Erika Farrell, EBBCLA Administrator
Deb Isdale, Secretary of the EBBCLA Board of Directors
NOTE:
This plan has been prepared with detail from the Updated Sports Guidance dated April 1, 2021 from RIDOH, the Event Template from RIDOH and Reopening RI, and the US Lacrosse Return To Play Guidelines.
