COVID-19 & RETURN TO PLAY UPDATES

Province of British Columbia

• June 24: The province announces a move to Phase 3
• June 10: Province announces order to protect amateur sports from COVID-19 liabilities, provided they are complying with public health orders and provincial sport guidelines.
• The Province of BC and the Provincial Health Authority will lead the re-opening plans for the entire Province.
• This includes the resumption of all amateur sports in BC, including ice hockey.
• We are currently in Phase 2 of BC's Restart Plan.
• Recreation and sports can restart under Phase 2, but under enhanced protocols that have yet to be determined.
• Phase 2 - Mid May onwards - In this phase, we are asking people to stay close to home and avoid any travel between communities that is not essential.​
• Phase 3 - June to September - If transmission rates remain low or in decline, people can begin travelling throughout B.C.
• Phase 4 - TBD - Conditional on at least one of the following; wide vaccination, “community” immunity, broad successful treatments:
• BC's Restart Plan

City of Richmond

• June 22: The City of Richmond has transitioned to Step 2 of a 5 step re-opening plan.
• The City of Richmond will follow the lead of the Provincial Health Authority.
• Step 2 is characterized by expanded access to outdoor park amenities and the restoration of outdoor recreation programming. City Hall, the Works Yard, and select community facilities are re-opened with limited hours and some restrictions.
• Step 1 Complete - which is characterized by the restoration of public access to most outdoor park amenities and indoor tennis with limits on group size.
• The 5 step plan does not have any dates or timelines attached to each step.
• The City Services Restoration Plan consists of five steps, which exist along a service restoration continuum of lower risk, lower impact on the left to higher risk, higher impact on the right. The timing and order of each step, and the restoration of individual programs and services within each step, is subject to change as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves. This plan assumes that there is no setback in the collective societal progress to flatten the curve of infections.
• Step 3 is characterized by the re-opening of recreation facilities and outdoor swimming pools (should the season permit) with limited hours and some restrictions. Registered programs for children and preschoolers are restored with modifications.
• Step 4 is characterized by expanded public access to programs and services at all Community Services facilities. Indoor pools and arenas re-open and small community events are restored.
• Hockey programming would resume in Step 4, but it would probably be limited to very small groups.
• A typical hockey season would not likely resume until Step 5.
• Covid-19: Restoring Richmond

Hockey Canada

• June 5: Hockey Canada lifts ban on sanctioned activities, lets members decide on return.
• June 4: Hockey Canada has released its Return to Hockey Safety Guidelines, but it is important to recognize that most health and safety protocols are managed at the provincial/territorial level.
• Hockey Canada and its Members are diligently working on a multifaceted return-to-hockey plan that will happen when, and only when, provincial and territorial governments and health authorities deem it safe to do so.
• Hockey Canada will defer to Provinces and their re-opening plans and timeline.
• Hockey Canada will be ready as soon as ice hockey is approved for re-opening.
• Hockey Canada is expected to release more information regarding the hockey season and league play in early to mid-July.
• Hockey Canada COVID-19 & return to play updates
• Interview with Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney
• Hockey Canada Return to Hockey Guidelines

viaSport

• June 8: BC Hockey "Return to Hockey" Guidelines posted on viaSport website
• May 28: via Sport released Return to Sport Guidelines for BC, which have been reviewed by WorkSafeBC
• Premier Horgan and the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lisa Beare, have asked viaSport to work with the sport sector in developing a set of guidelines on how to resume sport and operate safely during this pandemic.
• Those guidelines will be reviewed by cross-ministry officials within government and WorkSafe BC. Once reviewed, the sector return to sport guidelines will be used by Provincial Sport Organizations as they finalize and implement sport-specific plans.
• Minor hockey, like other amateur sports in this province, is currently waiting to see the baseline guidelines for a return to action that were created by viaSport, the provincial government’s delivery agency for sports programs. Those guidelines were sent to the provincial government in early May
• Now that the Return to Sport Guidelines for BC has been released, PSOs (Provincial Sport Organizations) and DSOs (Disability Sport Organizations) will develop sport-specific return to sport guidelines. These sport-specific guidelines need to be approved by their respective Boards of Directors before any activities can resume.
• In order to assess all of the possible risks, PSOs and DSOs should understand their current insurance policy in relation to contagion coverage.
• Local Sport Organizations (LSOs), affiliated with a PSO or DSO, will adapt and/or adopt the approved PSO guidelines when creating their own guidelines, and it is recommended to have these approved by their own boards before resuming activities.
• In order to assess all of the possible risks, LSOs should understand their current insurance policy in relation to contagion coverage.
• British Columbia's Return to Sport
• viaSport Return to Sport Guidelines for BC
• BC Sport Activity Chart

viaSport Return to Sport for BC Guidelines include:

• maintaining physical distancing
• minimal sharing of equipment
• focusing on skill development and small group training
• remaining focused on local communities
• minimal or no use of change rooms
• staggered start times
• no parents/spectators allowed
• kids arrive ready to play and leave immediately after activity is over

BC Hockey

• June 8: BC Hockey posted hockey guidelines on viaSport website.
• May 28: viaSport has released its Return to Sport Guidelines for BC, which BC Hockey will utilize to help formulate a return to hockey plan in BC.
• BC Hockey is waiting to receive approved baseline guidelines from viaSport. The Return to action guidelines were created by viaSport and have been submitted to the provincial government for approval.

PCAHA

• June 8: Weekly Meeting - PCAHA MHAs are working on a return to hockey template that MHAs can use to work with their municipalities on a re-opening plan.
• PCAHA is holding weekly meetings with Minor Hockey Associations to work on a gameplan for a return to hockey.
• Minor hockey falls under the Hockey Canada umbrella for insurance and a Hockey Canada spokesperson explained via email on Wednesday: “We cannot speak on behalf of other provincial or national sport governing bodies, but Hockey Canada has worked with our insurers and can confirm we will not have a communicable disease exclusion in our policies until Sept. 1, 2023 at the earliest.”
• According to the spokesperson, Hockey Canada insures coaches, managers, assistant coaches, trainers and players if they are members of their provincial sports organization.
• Minor Hockey Associations stick together to map out COVID-19 gameplan

Additional Resources

• BC's Restart Plan
• Provincial Health Officer Orders
• Vancouver Coastal Health Statement on COVID-19
• BC Centre for Disease Control Info on COVID-19
• Government of Canada Info on COVID-19
• ViaSport COVID-19 Guidelines for BC
• BC Hockey Return to Hockey Guidelines
• Hockey Canada Return to Hockey Guidelines