BC Wheelchair Sports Restart Plan Update - February 7

BC Wheelchair Sports Restart Plan Update – February 7
massive-dev | February 9, 2022

Below is the current PHO guidance as it relates to Wheelchair Tennis, Wheelchair Rugby, and Wheelchair Athletics. Participants are encouraged to stay up to date on additional Public Health measures at the links below. Sport participants are reminded that municipalities or facilities may impose their own limitations on activities. It is the responsibility of the participant to keep up to date on the requirements of their training venues and to follow all rules while on site.
Any questions regarding the information contained in this document or the RTS process in general should be directed to Program Manager Michelle McDonell at michelle@bcwheelchairsports.com or the BCWSA Program Staff responsible for each sport.

General Guidelines – updated February 7, 2022

All activities must follow all Government of BC COVID-19 Restrictions and Orders
All participants (or their parents for participants under 18) will be required to sign an updated BCWSA Waiver or Assumption of Risk AND COVID-19 Declaration and must follow all BCWSA Policies and Protocols (linked below).
Individuals should not attend any sport programming if they are unwell. Participants may use the COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool (https://bc.thrive.health/covid19/en/) to assess their symptoms as necessary. It is the responsibility of the individual to monitor themselves for symptoms which may be related to COVID-19.
All participants and coaches should continue to practice good hygiene (frequent hand washing; avoid touching one’s face; respiratory etiquette; disinfect frequently touched surfaces).
Programs should record attendance at each session and maintain contact details for all attendees.
Physical Assistance may be offered to athletes as required but all parties (including athletes) must wear a mask while within 2m of each other whether indoors or outdoors.
Interprovincial and International travel for sport is strongly discouraged at this time. There are currently no intra-provincial travel restrictions however travel for non-essential purposes is discouraged.
Spectator capacity is limited to 50% of the occupancy of the training space.
CSI-P identified athletes must adhere to all requirements as detailed below but are exempt from travel and tournament restrictions.
If you test positive for COVID-19, follow BCCDC guidance

Sport Guidelines

Tournaments

Sport tournaments for adults are not allowed. Tournaments are single or multi-day events where 3 or more teams compete against each other outside of regular league play. This restriction does not include:
– A gathering where team members compete individually against each other
– A gathering where the result will decide if a team will advance to play in a national or international competition
-Other sport activities that normally take place in a sport environment can continue, including:
– Participating or competing in individual sports like skiing, swimming or skating
– Competing in regular league play for individual or team sport

Indoor

Per the PHO order on masks in indoor public settings all individuals over the age of 5, regardless of their vaccination status, must wear a mask in all indoor public spaces throughout B.C. (including fitness and recreation facilities) to help slow the transmission of COVID-19 as B.C. prepares for the fall and respiratory illness season. Masks do not need to be worn on the field of play while participating in sport.
Per the PHO order on gatherings and events all adult sport participants (ages 22+) must be fully vaccinated – having received two doses of a WHO approved COVID-19 vaccine** – and must provide proof of that vaccination status in the form of a BC Vaccine Card, in either printed or digital form, to their coach or another BCWSA representative before entering the sport facility or participating in sport.
Vaccine Cards MUST be scanned by the leader of the program using the BC Vaccine Card Verifier each time the individual arrives at a program or BCWSA event.
For the purposes of the vaccination requirement “participant” includes athletes, volunteers, officials, coaches AND all spectators aged 12 and older.
Additionally, all adults (19+) leading, supervising or assisting with a program for children or youth must be fully vaccinated (two doses) whether the sport takes places indoors or outdoors

Outdoor
Masks are not required except when giving/receiving physical assistance as above.
Proof of vaccination is not required for outdoor sport.

Resources

BC Wheelchair Sports Resources

Waiver/Assumption of Risk

COVID-19 Declaration

Illness Policy

Outbreak Response Protocol
Personal Health Attestation

Government Resources

Province-Wide Restrictions – Province of British Columbia
Travel and COVID-19 – Province of British Columbia

PHO Order on Masks in Public Indoor Settings

PHO Order on Gatherings and Events

Proof of vaccination and the BC Vaccine Card – Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)