By Cristian Silva
With the current pandemic that is affecting the world at the moment, we’ve all had to experience change in our lifestyles. This change has also come to affect our school activities, in particular sports. To keep our community safe and to prevent the spread of Covid-19, UIL has implemented guidelines for the 2020-2021 school year. According to the UIL website “This guidance is effective immediately. Changes to the public health situation in the coming months may necessitate changes to this guidance.” Failure to comply with the guidelines will result in teams or participants being expelled.
In regards to face coverings
- employees, parents, visitors and students of 10 years or older are required to wear facemasks upon entry to an area where UIL Activities take place.
Exceptions to wearing face coverings
- While consuming food or drink.
- While the person is in a swimming pool, lake, or similar body of water.
Practice and Rehearsal activities
- All surfaces in practice areas should be regularly disinfected throughout and at the end of each day.
- Equipment should be disinfected before, during and after practice.
- Schools may provide food, water or other drinks. If they provide these items, schools should do so in a manner that ensures students are not sharing these items.
Teams and Participants
- Teams and participants are required to wear face coverings.
- Fan and spectator areas including bleachers, stands, walkways, and other spectator areas should be at least six feet from team /group areas such as team benches or performance areas. Where distancing is not feasible, other methods should be utilized to slow the spread of COVID-19, such as face coverings, implementing engineered controls such as physical barriers, or other risk mitigation efforts the school deems appropriate.
- Pregame or pre-event meetings between teams and/or sports and contest officials should be planned to allow appropriate distancing between individuals.
Students groups not directly participating in game or contest
Student groups such as marching bands, cheerleaders, drill teams, and other groups approved by the school district may attend and perform at games or contests in which they are not competing.
- Students groups should be separated from game or contest participants at all times.
- Student groups are required to wear face coverings.
- Fans and spectators should be located to provide at least 10 feet of distance from bands playing wind instruments from the stands.
Spectators, Audience, Fans and Media
Schools may allow spectators to attend games, contests, or events within a maximum 50% capacity limitation, provided that appropriate spacing between spectators is maintained according to the protocol, and according to the following:
- Spectators, audiences, fans and media are required to complete the nisd health screening questionnaire and wear face coverings that cover the nose and the mouth.
- If possible, set reserved times for entry to avoid mass arrivals.
- Sites are encouraged to utilize remote ticketing options to help manage capacity limitations within a maximum 50% occupancy.
- Groups should maintain at least six feet of distance from other groups at all times, including the process of admission and seating. A group is defined as no more than 10 people including the members of the household and those persons who traveled together to the facility.
- Schools should not allow seating in consecutive rows, and should block off seating to maintain a minimum six feet of distance between groups.
- Schools should provide hand sanitizing stations and/or hand washing stations at entrances and inside the facility.
- Seating, handrails, and other common surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected prior to each game or contest.
- Post-game interviews should be conducted while wearing face coverings and maintaining at least six feet of distance between the interviewer and individual being interviewed.
All info from UIL website: https://www.uiltexas.org/policy/covid-19/2020-2021-uil-covid-19-risk-mitigation-guidelines