COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Policy for BH-BL Girls Youth Basketball Program

 

The BH-BL Girls Youth Basketball Program will follow the safety protocols being used by the BH-BL school teams.  
School basketball is scheduled to start in late November and our program will follow the same guidelines used by the school for our practices. At this time, the school basketball guidelines are not defined by NYS and we expect those guidelines around mid-November. 
Until those guidelines are released, we will be following the guidelines set for school sports like soccer and field hockey. While those sports have been deemed moderate risk, they are extremely similar to basketball as contact sports too.  In those sports, the current guidelines are masks are worn at all times during practices and effort is made to make drills so 6 feet of distance can be maintained whenever possible. However, there will be times and situations where 6 feet is not maintained just as in soccer or field hockey. For full understanding of the protocols for soccer and field hockey, please read the current return to sports guidelines from NYSPHSAA at:
Of note on page 17, the document talks about mask wearing and maintaining 6 feet:
Responsible Parties must ensure a distance of at least six feet is maintained among individuals at all times, whether indoor or outdoor, unless safety or the core activity (e.g. practicing, playing) requires a shorter distance. If a shorter distance is required, individuals must wear acceptable face coverings, unless players are unable to tolerate a face covering for the physical activity (e.g. practicing, playing); provided, however, that coaches, trainers, and other individuals who are not directly engaged in physical activity are required to wear a face covering. 
BH-BL school teams are members of the Suburban Council. The Suburban Council has taken the NYS guidelines a step further  and mandated everyone must be wearing a mask and not “unless players are unable to tolerate a face covering for the physical activity like in the state guidelines. Currently, nobody will be allowed to play at BH-BL school team practices unless they are wearing a mask. Our youth program will follow those stricter guidelines as the school teams.  If NYSPHSAA, the Suburban Council, and BHBL change those guidelines, we will follow their lead.
Additionally, just like the school teams, our program will perform screening and  take temperatures prior to practices. Our program will try to avoiding sharing equipment as much as possible and avoid unnecessary contact when possible.
Once new guidelines are released specific to school basketball, our program will shift to follow those guidelines. Also, if fall sports are paused out of safety, our practices will pause. Once school basketball starts and if it has to pause, our program will pause too.