Return To Play Information
March 22 Update
Updated Travel Policy
Washington has now aligned with the CDC's guidelines for out of state travel so the club will be following those. The exact wording is as follows:
"Governor Inslee is advising Washingtonians and others visiting Washington to comply with the Center for Disease Control’s current COVID-19 travel advisory guidance. That CDC guidance includes:
If you must travel, take steps to protect yourself and others:
· If you are eligible, get fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
· Before you travel, get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before your trip.
· Wear a mask over your nose and mouth when in public.
· Avoid crowds and stay at least 6 feet/2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from anyone who did not travel with you.
· Get tested 3-5 days after your trip and stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel, even if your test is negative. If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel."
Updated Mask Policy
Now that we have entered Phase 3 the Governor's office has released new guidelines around masks for outdoor youth sports. For youth soccer they are to be worn at practices but do not have to be worn on the field during games. The exact wording is as follows:
"Moderate contact outdoor sports athletes allowed to remove facial coverings for competitions [games]. Facial coverings must be worn by athletes when training or when not actively competing in a game or match against another team or when on the bench waiting to play. Coaches, trainers,and officials must wear face coverings at all times."
Updated Spectator Rules
For outdoor competitions without permanent seating; Facilities or complexes with more than one field or area of play are allowed a maximum of 150 people per field or area of play, including spectators. Stand alone fields without permanent seating cannot exceed 200 people per field including spectators. Seattle Public School Fields currently do not allow any spectators on their fields as of March 31st. We will update people if/when this changes.
Feb 11 Update
We're delighted that we can now resume games. However, it is important that we adhere to the following guidelines outlined below:
Effective immediately, spectators are no longer permitted at Seattle Public School facilities. Spectators are only permitted at games on Seattle Parks facilities.
In Phase 2, the guidelines state that, “For outdoor competitions; For facilities or complexes with more than one field or area of play a maximum of 75 people allowed per field or area of play, including spectators. All spectators of different households are to remain physically distant, 6 feet or more, as much as possible.”
For games on Seattle Parks Playfields, groups are required to limit the total attendance at a game to a maximum of 75 people per playfield. If one group has two playfields reserved at the same (for example, Brighton 1 and 2), then the maximum is 150 people. If two groups are scheduled for two different playfields at the same park, each group is capped at a maximum of 75 people.
The total attendance includes players, coaches, officials/referees, and spectators.
Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in our permits being revoked by the City of Seattle so we will be stricly enforcing them at all times.
Nov 24 Update
With infections continuing to rise in King County and the potential for that to increase over the holiday, we are issuing some guidelines around travel and returning to practices after Thanksgiving.
Up to this point there has been limited evidence to suggest that air travel itself, i.e, being in an airport or on an airplane, increases your chances of being infected. Since air travel has been significantly reduced over the course of the fall season we did not feel it necessary to implement a concrete travel policy. The upcoming holiday, and consequent surge in out of state travel/visitors, changes things. Although the Governor has encouraged everyone to reduce their Thanksgiving gatherings and limit travel we anticipate many people will still travel to see family or have family travel to see them. It seems realistic to expect a spike in cases following the holidays. For this reason we want to do what we can to limit exposure. Therefore the staff will be following the Governor's travel advisory and we ask that families do the same.
Under the travel advisory, non-essential travel is strongly discouraged. Travelers, either entering or returning to Washington state, are to self-quarantine for 14-days upon return (essential vs. non-essential travel is outlined at the links in the advisory). During this self-quarantine period, contact is to be limited to those in one’s household. We have consulted with our public health partners and confirmed this quarantine period would stand, even with a documented negative test result for COVID-19.
Additionally, under these restrictions, indoor gatherings with people whom you do not live with are prohibited, unless you quarantine for 14 days prior to the event OR quarantine for 7 days prior and receive a negative COVID test result no more than 48 hours before the event.
Non-Essential Travel out of Washington State:
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Non-essential travel is strongly discouraged
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Requires a 14-day quarantine after you arrive/return to Washington
Indoor Gatherings with People with Whom You Do Not Live:
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Requires a 14-day quarantine before the event OR
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Requires a 7-day quarantine before the event AND a negative COVID test
If you do travel or have visitors from outside your household over the holiday then please make sure to RSVP if you are going to be missing practices as a result. You can leave a note when you RSVP to explain that the absence is due to quarantine as a consequence of out of state travel/visitors.
Exceptions to the 14 day quarantine rule:
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If there is no public/commercial travel, AND the family is traveling only with their immediate family who they reside with, AND they are staying in a private residence.
Here is an example:
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A player/staff member travels by car with their family who they live with. They drive to a family cabin at the lake and spend a week there and then drive home. This example would not require any stay at home time upon return.
We recognize how hard these restrictions on travel and prohibitions on indoor gatherings will be on everyone as we look ahead to the upcoming holidays. We strongly encourage our staff and families to avoid non-essential travel and indoor gatherings at this time, in line with the Governor’s guidance. These restrictions will undoubtedly impact everyone's enjoyment of Thanksgiving this year but as a club we feel we have to do what we can to reduce the spread of the virus in our community and we urge everyone to follow public health guidelines this holiday season.
If you have any questions or feedback please don't hesitate to reach out.
Nov 16 Update
We'd encourage all our families to familiarize themselves with the updated protocols published here as well as the PSPL League Return to Play Competition graphic and Celtic's updated Return to Play Safety Plan.
Please note that the one correction to the PSPL RTP graphic is that one parent/guardian will be allowed for each minor aged player and they must remain six feet from each person.
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Seattle Celtic Return To Play Safety Plan (updated Nov 11)
Practice/Game Protocols:
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Players with fever or other symptoms are not permitted to attend practices/games and will be sent home if they exhibit symptoms.
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Players & coaches must use hand sanitizer before, during breaks and after practice/games.
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Players must wear masks at the field complex before the practice/games have started, during practice and immediately after the practice is over.
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Players, parents and coaches must not congregate in shared spaces on the field, around fields or in parking lots.
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Carpooling is discouraged.
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Six feet of distance must be maintained among athletes when not engaged in sporting activities, huddles and team meetings must be physically distanced. This would especially apply on game-day whereby the coach and subs should maintain six feet of distance between one another.
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Entering and leaving the playfield: Players and coaches may not enter the playfield until the start of the reservation, and no equipment can be brought to the field until the start of the reservation. Waiting on the sidelines prior to the start of the reservation is not allowed. All players and coaches must vacate the field within 15 minutes of the end of the reservation. All equipment and garbage must be removed from the field within 15 minutes of the end of the reservation.
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No spectators allowed except for one adult parent/guardian/caregiver for each minor-aged participant allowed. Spectators must maintain physical distance of at least six (6) feet between each person. No spectators allowed for participants 18 and older.” Team managers will be responsible for making sure this rule is enforced. Failure to abide by this will result in your child not being permitted to play in future games.
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It is crucial that we respect all of the guidelines set forth by the Governor and we will be following up with an email to everyone to ensure we are all on the same page.
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PSPL League Return To Play Gameday Guidelines will be followed (graphic included above)
Club/Organizational Responsibilities:
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Coaches will be provided with PPE including masks, gloves, hand sanitizer for personal use and disinfectant spray for equipment. Coaches will also be provided with extra hand sanitizer for players.
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Monitor compliance with new precautions.
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Communication with staff and families to make sure everyone is on the same page.
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Action plan in place if there is a positive test within a group. A particular team or the participants present in the same area as an individual who tests positive would be required to quarantine for a minimum of 2 weeks.
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Records and Contact Tracing - Keep a roster of every athlete, staff and volunteer present at each practice, training session, and contest to assist with contact tracing in the event of a possible exposure. Similarly keep a roster and seating chart for each travel group. Attendance rosters and seating charts must be kept on file for 28 days after the practice, contest, or trip.
Coach Requirements:
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Provide clearly marked training areas for individuals/small groups as well as clearly marked equipment areas for player's personal gear, adequately spaced out.
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Wear a mask at all times.
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Disinfect all equipment before and after use.
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Do not allow sharing of equipment.
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Encourage players to bring their own soccer ball.
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Clear field of all items used during practice and leave park promptly after the conclusion of your practices.
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Ensure there are no team huddles
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Ensure there is no pregame coin toss or pre/post-game handshakes
Parent Responsibilities:
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Educate your kids on the guidelines and impress upon them the importance of following these guidelines.
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RSVP for practices at least a day in advance - aside from helping a coach plan for their session, this is a requirement of the updated protocols for the purpose of contact tracing.
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Make sure players have hand sanitizer at practice.
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If you are worried your child may have been exposed to the virus you should contact us and not have them attend practices.
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Have players bring their own soccer ball to practice.
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Non-players (parents, care-givers, non-playing siblings) must wear facial coverings per the Department of Health facial covering order.”
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Leave the park promptly after the conclusion of your child’s practices.
Lastly, we would like to reiterate that these measures are not a definitive list and we will continually review them to make sure we have up to date information communicated to everyone. We will also be updating the Return to Play Information page on our website as things progress if people need more. Again we want to stress the importance of parents not bringing their child to practice if they show any symptoms.
We have witnessed some incredible determination, perseverance and generosity from our community over the last couple of months and it inspires us to provide as safe an environment as possible for our players so they can get back to enjoying soccer this summer.
Protocol For A Positive COVID-19 Test
Seattle Celtic and its families will follow the following procedures in the event of a positive test for COVID-19:
1. Any player, parent or coach, or any of their household members that has a confirmed positive test for COVID-19 within 14 days or less of beginning participation in a Seattle Celtic event must notify Celtic (info@seattleceltic.com) in writing of the positive test.
2. Any player, parent, coach, or any household members involved in a Celtic event and then receives a positive test for COVID-19 must notify Celtic in writing of the positive test.
3. After receiving notice of a confirmed positive test for COVID-19 involving a player, coach, parent or any of their family members, Celtic will presume there has been a potential exposure to COVID-19.
4. The person learning of the confirmed positive test for COVID-19 must immediately contact Oisín Martin, Celtic Director of Operations.
5. All players and parents in the class of the person who has tested positive will be notified via email address and Celtic will make every effort to contact such persons by phone as well.
6. All players and coaches in the class of the player/coach who has tested positive may not participate in any Celtic activities for a period of no less than 14 days.
7. All potentially exposed players and coaches should self-quarantine for 14 days in accordance with guidance from the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) and the Washington state Department of Health.
8. If players, coaches or household members develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19, they should immediately consult a physician and seek COVID-19 testing. For additional guidance on symptoms, review published information at the Washington Department of Health’s website: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/COVIDcasepositive.pdf
9. Celtic will provide the person who has tested positive for COVID-19 with contact information for the Department of Health (206) 477-3977 as well as access to the Department of Health’s published guidelines entitled, “What to do if you are potentially exposed to someone with confirmed Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19)” (https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/COVIDexposed.pdf).
10. Affected players, coaches and parents may be contacted by the Department of Health. Cooperation is strongly recommended as the information sought by the Department of Health will assist in contact-tracing, meaning an effort to learn the origin of the infection trail and notify others who may be affected.
11. Celtic will comply with all instructions and guidance provided by the Washington Department of Health.
12. If a member of a player's family receives a positive test for COVID-19 then the player should not attend practice for two weeks, accompanied with the results of a negative test.