COVID Safe Protocols 2020-21

SMDLAC operates within Little Athletics Victoria COVID Safe protocols. Our Covid Safe officials are:

• Mark Clarke

https://eventdesq.sportstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=confirmedentrants&EventDesqID=35397&OrgID=1370

Please note:

Definitions:

• Parent/guardian: the parent/guardian is responsible for supervising children at a sanctioned competition or training activity. The presence of parents/guardian is required for the safe conduct of sanctioned Little Athletics activities.
• Spectators: includes relatives (such as grandparents), friends, coaches (competition only), members of the general public etc. whose presence is not essential for the conducting of sanctioned training or competition activities, or required to supervise children.
• Organising Bodies: entities co-ordinating track & field competitions on behalf of a group of Centres.
• Attendees: all in attendance at sanctioned competition and training,
• Competition refers to track & field competition, for the period 1st September 2020 to 31 March, 2021
• Training: pertains to track & field events.
• Venue manager: the body responsible for the management of the venue. This might typically be a Local Government Organisation, committee of management, collective sporting body, school or similar.
• Stakeholder: entities mutually interacting with a Centre in any given season. These typically might be athletes, families, volunteers, committee members, venue managers, entities sharing facilities, sponsors, Local Government Organisation, local media outlets, etc.

General principles

• Affiliated Centres must receive written permission from LAVic to conduct insured sanctioned competition and training activities.
• Affiliated Centres intending to conduct competition and/or training must appoint a COVID Safe Official.
• Attendees contact details will be recorded prior to each sanctioned activity.
• Physical distancing (>1.5 metres) must be observed by all attendees (exempted for athletes when training and competing) at all times.
• The maintenance of high standards of personal hygiene – such as regular hand sanitisation – is critical.
• Equipment must be disinfected before and after use.
• A “Get in, Train/Compete, Get Out” approach to sanctioned activities must be communicated.
• Attendees essential to the conducting of sanctioned activities only are to be present. This includes supervising parents/guardians.
• Spectators are not required or essential to the conducting of sanctioned activities and can not attend.
• Competition (races and events) and training group sizes can not exceed 10 athletes at a time (officials, coaches etc exempted).
• Attendees should avoid all contact with others, such as handshaking and giving high fives.
• Access to change rooms and toilets is permitted.
• Access to clubrooms and pavilions is not permitted.
• Face coverings are to be worn by all attendees 12 years of age and older, including athletes when not competing, that is when they are not on the field of play.
• Canteens are permitted to operate in accordance with Business Victoria guidelines.

COVID Safe Official

• Affiliated Centres must appoint a minimum of one COVID Safe Official (CSO).
• The CSO is responsible for the Centre’s implementation and compliance with these protocols.
• Permission to commence training and/or competition will not be granted to Affiliated Centres that do not have at least one registered CSO.
• The tasks and responsibilities assigned to the CSO role are documented in the CSO Duty Statement. Click here to view.
• CSOs are encouraged to complete the free online Australian Government COVID-19 Infection Control Training course.

Communication

• The Centre must communicate the competition and training protocols to all members, athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, Committee members, families, sponsors, venue managers and other Centre stakeholders.

Attendance Records and Managed Access

1. Prior to the commencement of sanctioned Centre training and competition activities, all attendees will have their attendance recorded by the CSO (or delegated representative) in a register, at a designated area. The register is to be maintained for a period of at least 28 days (while an MS Excel template is supplied, Centres are encouraged to explore online tools to facilitate the administration of this process, such as the Team App ‘Attendance Tracker’).
2. For competition events involving multiple Centres, such as Open Days, the Organising Bodies must have a formal entry procedure in place for all competition activities for the capture and recording of contact details and identities of competing athletes. This will take the form of an online portal provided by LAVic.
3. Attendees are encouraged to “Get in, Compete/Train, Get Out” and minimise social interaction prior to, and after competition or training.
4. Parents/guardians supervising children, athletes, officials, CSOs, volunteers only are considered essential for conducting competition.
5. Parents/guardians supervising children, athletes, coaches, CSOs and volunteers only are considered essential for conducting training.
6. Spectators (see the definition above) are not to be permitted to attend sanctioned activities.

Training and competing with another Centre/Organising Body

• Athletes residing in metropolitan Melbourne and registered with a regional Victorian Centre cannot participate in training and competition activities at their Centre under the current restrictions.
• Athletes residing in regional Victoria may seek permission to train and compete with another Centre or Organising Bodies in regional Victoria. Permission must be sought and granted in advance from both Centres.

Equipment

• Athletes are encouraged to bring their own water bottles, towels and other personal items to avoid sharing where possible.
• Athletes clothing items, such as tops, hoodies, etc, are to be separated when not worn to avoid contact with other athletes’ items.
• Uniform items are not to be shared.
• For training, athletes should be advised to supply their own equipment where practicable; the sharing of equipment is to be avoided where possible.
• For training, athletes will be required to only use the equipment allocated to them unless they supply their own.
• For training, athletes are to collect their own equipment.
• All equipment is to be cleaned with disinfectant wipes before and after use (the exception being if an athlete supplies their own equipment).
• Athletes will be required to sanitise their hands after using equipment, including their own.
• In training, only the coach (or other designated individual) will be allowed to use the rakes, brooms, and tape measures for any activities.
• The athletes will not share gym mats used for strength training,
• High jump: all forms of high jump are permissible, with the following provisos:
• that all equipment is thoroughly cleaned after the session;
• each athlete sanitises their hands after each jump.
• Javelin: javelins can be used as long as they are cleaned and sanitised for use for each athlete.
• Long & triple jump: when athletes are leaving the pit, athletes must clean their hands of sand first and then sanitise.
• Only the Coach and CSO (other person(s) designated by the CSO) can collect equipment from the equipment shed and then return it.

Competition

• Competition events must not exceed 10 athletes at a time. This applies to both track and field events.
• Multiple heats must be separated by at least 1.5m.
• Once a field event with a maximum of 10 athletes has concluded, the next group of 10 athletes can commence.

Uniform requirements

• It is compulsory for athletes in all sanctioned competition:
• to wear their Centre uniform;
• to display their SUBWAY patch;
• to have a Coles badge properly affixed to their uniform, in accordance with uniform guidelines.
• Not to share uniforms.

Venue

• Clubrooms are to remain closed.
• Toilets and communal change rooms can open.
• Canteens that can be accessed without entering via the clubroom are permitted to operate in accordance with the ‘Hospitality Industry Guidelines’.
• The CSO, Centre administrators and venue managers will manage the use of the facilities.

Physical distancing

• All attendees (exclusive of training/competing athletes) will be required to strictly maintain physical distancing of at least 1.5m at all times.
• Attendees must not gather in groups exceeding 10 people.

Personal infection control & management

• CSOs must advise those attending sanctioned competition and training to go home that if they have:
• Any cold or flu symptoms;
• Been in direct contact with a known case of COVID-19 in the previous 14 days;
• A high risk from a health perspective (for example the elderly and those with preexisting medical heath conditions).
• Attendees must inform the CSO if they are feeling unwell, can only return once medically certified to do so.
• Attendees must disclose to the CSO if they are being tested for COVID-19, and can only return once cleared by the health authorities, along with a medical certificate confirming their health. The CSO must take the following actions:
• Record the incident details in the attendance register;
• Advise the Centre Committee;
• Advise LAVic;
• Report the incident to the health authorities.
• Athletes, coaches, officials, Centre administrators, volunteers and parents/carers at sanctioned competition and training activities are advised to: o
• Regularly and thoroughly wash hands; o
• Carry and use hand sanitiser; o
• Cover a sneeze or cough with an elbow or a tissue rather than hands; o Immediately dispose of used tissues in the bin; o
• Avoid close contact with people who are unwell; o
• Limit the touching of eyes, nose or mouth; o
• Not spit or clear nasal/respiratory secretions; o
• Avoid contact with other participants, inclusive of handshakes, high fives, huddles and celebrations.

Hygiene

• Face coverings are to be worn by all attendees 12 years of age and older, including athletes when not competing, ie when they are not on the field of play.
• Participants must use hand sanitiser prior to commencement and completion of any sanctioned activity.
• Participants must thoroughly wash their hands after using the toilets. •
• Athletes are required to sanitise their hands after sneezing/coughing.
• Hand sanitiser must be provided for use at
• athlete sign in,
• toilets,
• each event site and
• at the canteen. •
• Disinfectant wipes must be available at each event site where equipment is used. •
• Centres will receive a delivery of hand sanitiser, surface sanitiser and disinfectant wipes. Additional supplies may be ordered and advice on how to do so will be provided. •
• Centres must display posters to provide regular guidance on hygiene (supplied by LAVic).

Cleaning

• Centres must devise a regular and thorough cleaning schedule to disinfect all common areas and high touch surfaces.
• The toilets must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and after each training session.

Compliance

• Affiliated Centres and all attendees must comply with these protocols at all times.
• The Department of Health & Human Services ‘Sport & Exercise Restrictions COVID-19’ website, states: ‘Directions will continue to be enforced through spot checks by Victoria Police and use of emergency powers by DHHS and Local Government Authorised Officers to ensure compliance with the directions of the Chief Health Officer’.
• CSOs are required to report incidences of blatant/flagrant non-compliance to their Centre Committees and to LAVic.
• Breaches of these protocols may be punishable by law