|
?:abstract
|
-
The way sports are played and the way equipment is shared can influence the spread of COVID-19 among players When you are assessing the risk of spread in your sport, consider: Community levels of COVID-19: High or increasing levels of COVID-19 cases in the local community increase the risk of infection and spread among youth athletes, coaches, and families Administrators should consider the number of COVID-19 cases in the community when deciding whether to resume or continue youth sporting activities Information on the number of cases in an area can often be found on the local health department website or on CDC’s COVID Data Tracker County View Physical closeness of players Sports that require contact or close proximity (within 6 feet) between players may make it more difficult to maintain physical distancing, compared to sports where players are not close to each other For close-contact sports (e g , wrestling, basketball), play may be modified to safely increase distance between players For example, players and coaches can focus on individual skill building versus competition Coaches can also modify practices so players work on individual skills, rather than on competition Coaches may also put players into small groups (cohorts) that remain together and work through stations, rather than switching groups or mixing groups Level of intensity of activity Activities that are high intensity or require a high level of exertion (such as full competition) present a higher level of risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 than lower intensity activities (such as discussing strategy and rules, walking through plays), particularly when indoors Higher intensity activities are safer when done outdoors Length of time that players are close to each other or to staff Activities that last longer pose more risk than shorter activities Being within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period greatly increases the risk of becoming sick and requires quarantine Limit the time players spend in close contact to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread For example, players and coaches can: play full contact only in game-time situations;decrease the number of competitions during a season Setting of the sporting event or activity Indoor activities pose more risk than outdoor activities Minimize the amount of time spent indoors If it is necessary to be inside, ensure the facility has proper ventilation and filtration systems and open windows and doors to increase airflow throughout the space Amount of necessary touching of shared equipment and gear (e g , protective gear, balls, bats, racquets, mats, or water bottles) The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person, but it is also possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes Minimize equipment sharing, and clean and disinfect shared equipment between use by different people to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread Ability to engage in physical distancing while not actively engaged in play (e g , during practice, on the sideline, or in the dugout) During times when players are not actively participating in practice or competition, attention should be given to maintaining physical distancing by increasing space between players on the sideline, dugout, or bench Additionally, coaches can encourage athletes to use downtime for individual skill-building work or cardiovascular conditioning, rather than staying clustered together Age of the player Older youth might be better able to follow directions for physical distancing and take other protective actions like not sharing water bottles If feasible, a coach, parent, or other caregiver can assist with making sure that athletes maintain proper physical distancing For younger athletes, youth sports programs may ask parents or other household members to monitor their children and make sure that they follow physical distancing and take other protective actions (e g , younger children could sit with parents or caregivers, instead of in a dugout or group area) Players at higher risk of developing severe illness Parents and coaches should assess level of risk based on individual players on the team who may be at higher risk for severe illness, such as children who may have asthma, diabetes, or other health problems Size of the team Sports with a large number of players on a team may increase the likelihood of spread, compared to sports with fewer team members Consider decreasing team sizes, as feasible Nonessential visitors, spectators, volunteers Limit any nonessential visitors, spectators, volunteers, and activities involving external groups or organizations Travel outside of the local community Traveling outside of the local community may increase the chances of exposing players, coaches, and fans to COVID-19, or unknowingly spreading it to others This is the case particularly if a team from an area with high levels of COVID-19 competes with a team from an area with low levels of the virus Youth sports teams should consider competing only against teams in their local area (e g , neighborhood, town, or community) Behavior of the athletes off the field Athletes who do not consistently adhere to social distancing (staying at least 6 feet apart), mask wearing, handwashing, and other prevention behaviors pose more risk to the team than those who consistently practiced these safety measures If organizations are not able to keep in place safety measures during competition (for example, maintaining physical distancing by keeping children at least 6 feet apart at all times), they may consider limiting participation to within-team competition only (for example, scrimmages between members of the same team) or team-based practices only Similarly, if organizations are unable to put in place safety measures during team-based activities, they may choose individual or at-home activities, especially if any members of the team are at high risk for severe illness
|
![[This page as RDF]](https://research.tib.eu/covid-19/static/rdf-icon.gif){kind=icon}