The BC Government and viaSport have announced a move to Phase 3 of the BC Return to Sport Plan in accordance with the B.C. Restart Plan.
The goal of this phase is to introduce more sport activities to our members in a way that prioritizes the safety of participants, staff, coaches, volunteers and the community. While sport is being able to advance, it is still important that the return of activities be done gradually. For our clubs advancing activities in Phase 3, a gradual approach has been recommended – slowly reintroducing activities allowing for flexibility while testing out safety measures and making other adjustments.
Clubs should still be implementing their own Return To Sport plan, following the guidelines set out at https://bcalpine.com/page/c19.
Sport Cohorts in Phase 3:
To allow for the introduction of new activities, sport cohorts will be introduced where physical distancing is not possible. A cohort is a group of participants who primarily interact with each other over an extended period of time and may contain up to 100 individual within them. At this time the cohort process could be useful both for larger clubs which will be sharing training areas between multiple groups but could also serve well for smaller clubs who may “cohort” with another regional team or group for summer training purposes. Going forward into our season, if we do not yet find ourselves in Phase 4, we may be implementing the cohort process as a method of organizing our racing programs.
Note: While cohorts may be groups of up to 100, it is still important to note that Provincial Health Office (PHO) Orders related to group gatherings are still in effect, limiting group numbers to 50 people at this time.
Additional Updates:
For contact tracing purposes, if sport organizations are not the owner or operator of the sport facility, they must provide the facility operator with the first and last names and telephone number, or email address of all participants. You can find the Ministerial Order here for more details.
Participating in sport means that individuals could come into contact with more people. It is important that each individual assess their risk tolerance and ensure they understand the safety plans that are in place. All participants should monitor their health daily and stay home if they don’t feel well or are displaying symptoms of COVID-19, with no exceptions.
Clubs and their members will need to be flexible to accommodate and respond to changes in the community, like outbreaks or mandates around masks. If you are unsure of restrictions within your community, contact your Regional Health Authority.