SENOIA ATHLETICS COVID-19 SAFE TO PLAY GUIDELINES

SAAA is committed to providing a safe environment to participate in baseball and softball activities during the pandemic. Below are guidelines which will be applied to reduce the risk of spread of Covid-19.  The term quarantine means that the player or coach is not allowed to be at our park or participate in any activity involving SAAA players or teams. 

Under any circumstances, if you are under any order commanding that you quarantine regardless of who issued said directive, you are not allowed to be at the ball park or participate in any SAAA activities. 

UPDATED INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE VACCINATED:

According to the CDC guidelines, for vaccinated individuals, if you have been in close contact with someone who has Covid-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don't have symptoms.  You should wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative.  You should isolate for 10 days if your test result is positive. Due to the confined space and close contact within the dugout, dugouts will be considered “indoors”.

SAAA recommends that, even though all of SAAA activities are outdoors, if you are required to wear a mask indoors that you do so while sitting in close proximity to other families.  Moreover, if you have been subject to a close contact with a person who has Covid-19, wear a mask for 14 days after exposure when in close proximity to others

SAAA's policy is that all individuals are considered unvaccinated until credible proof of vaccination status is provided.  Therefore, the following rules and procedures will remain in place unless the rules for vaccination persons apply.  

·    Player or Coach that tests positive or is showing signs of Covid-19.

A Player or Coach must quarantine for a period of at least 10 days from the date of a positive test if the player or coach has no symptoms.  If the Player or Coach develops symptoms, then the Player or Coach must quarantine for 10 days since symptoms first appeared and the Player or Coach can go 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and other symptoms of Covid-19 are improving. 

If the Player or Coach has participated with his or her team within two days prior to testing positive or exhibiting symptoms, the entire team will be quarantined for the period of 10 days.  Parents are to monitor their child for any symptoms associated with Covid-19.  Each player shall remain quarantined for a period of 10 days from the last days that they have shown any symptoms. 

If a coach or player tests positive, the entire household shall quarantine per SAAA rules. This means siblings who are registered to play must also be quarantined and remain away from the ball park and parents are unable to attend games or practices at the ball park even at a distance. 

·     Player or Coach who has come into contact with a person who has tested positive for Covid-19.

If a Player or Coach has been notified or is aware that he or she was in close contact to a person who tested positive for Covid-19, the individual shall quarantine from the park and team activities for at least ten (10) days from the date that they were in close contact.  If no symptoms have developed, the individual is free to return to play If symptoms develop, the individual will follow CDC guidelines for positive individuals. 

·     Players or Coaches subject to a quarantine because of a close contact, but not testing positive for Covid-19. 

Players who are under a quarantine by their school shall also be quarantined and not permitted to take part in any SAAA activities. 

Coaches who are under a quarantine through their work should be quarantine from the park as well. 

Unvaccinated individuals who have been instructed to quarantine, or meet the definition of close contact per CDC, shall not participate in SAAA activities.

                A sibling is not required to quarantine if the sibling is still permitted to attend school.  Parents who are not subject to a quarantine should remain in the car or socially distant from other individuals by remaining in the outfield and avoiding crowded areas such as the concession stand, bathrooms, and stands.  If you have been exposed to a person who has Covid-19, it is highly recommended that you wear a mask while at the park even though you are outdoors for purposes of an extra layer of protection against the spread of Covid-19. 

·   When a team will be quarantined.

A team will be quarantined if there were team activities within 48 hours prior to a team member (coach or player) either testing positive for Covid-19 or showing symptoms of Covid-19 and the team member participated in the activity OR if the team played or had joint activities with a team that is placed under quarantine in the prior 48 hours.

·     Games lost during quarantine.

SAAA will attempt to reschedule games which were postponed due to a quarantine.  Games are not guaranteed to be rescheduled.  For purposes of All-Stars in the Spring Season, games that are not made up will not be counted against teams for the the purposes identifying the head coach of the all-star team, unless the head coach has failed to notify SAAA of the need to quarantine the team as required by these protocols. 

·     All-Star participation (Spring Season Only)

All rec players will be eligible to tryout for All-Stars.  If a player is unable to participate in tryouts because of being in quarantined, the player will need to be recommended by the head coach and the head coach shall deliver to the coaches the team’s book and summary of the player’s performance throughout the season for consideration.  No more than six players shall make the all-star team without trying out for the team during an evaluation, unless three or more teams were disqualified from participating in evaluations for the all-star team. 

DUTY TO REPORT AND SANCTIONS FOR FAILING TO FOLLOW THE COVID-19 GUIDELINES:

Each player, parent, and coach has a duty to inform SAAA if the individual was exposed to a individual with Covid-19 or if the individual is under an order to quarantine.  Each individual shall report any exposure to Covid-19 or order to quarantine to the head coach of your child's team.   In reporting the Covid-19 exposure or quarantine, the individual shall tell the head coach the date of exposure or quarantine, whether the individual is experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or the last day the individual experienced symptoms, and proof of vaccination if the individual seeks fall under the rules for vaccinated persons. The Head Coach shall inform the Board of Directors of the report immediately.   The Board of Directors may seek more information, if necessary.   All information collected will be held in confidence and shall be confidential. 

Those individuals found in violation of the Covid-19 Return to Play Guidelines shall be subject to sanctions including but not limited to the following: 

a.  written reprimand,
b.  forfeiture of games,
c.  suspension from attending games,
d.  removal from coaching position,
e.  disqualification from serving as coach in upcoming seasons,
f.  expulsion from the association, and/or
g.  permanent bans for future seasons.  

The Board of Directors has discretion to impose one or more of the above for any violation.  Each situation shall be evaluated based on its own set of facts and the totality of the circumstances.  No sanctions imposed shall serve as precedent for future violations.