Yesterday, the California Department of Public Health released updated guidelines for Outdoor and Indoor Youth Sports. Additional updates are expected on January 4, 2021.
In the new guidelines the state categorizes each sport in two ways:
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Transmission risk (indoor sports are higher risk due to reduced ventilation).
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Level of Contact (more contact means higher risk; each sports falls into either low, moderate or high contact)
Both baseball and softball fall into the Outdoor Moderate-Contact sports. This means that games can be played with only incidental or intermittent close contact between participants.
With this classification the state has placed the resumption of baseball and softball into the Red Tier (Substantial Tier). Once Orange County has entered this tier and is no longer on a regional stay-at-home order, games may resume. Currently, this is not targeted until after January 25, 2021, with additional updates to follow.
As for spectators and parents, the guidelines state: "For youth sports (age 18 years and under), immediate household members may observe practices and games as needed for age-appropriate supervision, but observers should be limited to ensure physical distance can be maintained, reduce potential crowding, and maintain indoor and outdoor capacity limits allowed by Tiers. Observers must stay at least 6 feet from non-household members and wear face coverings."
We have consulted with District 30 and we feel this is a major step forward and now that we have guidelines on how to get back to playing games. Hopefully this will answer some questions you have concerning a return to competitive games and we have provided the full guidelines in the link below. As always, we will continue to monitor these updates and plan accordingly for the league.
I know Orange County was in the Red Tier most of the summer, so hopefully with the increase of vaccinations and trends we will our county return to playing baseball and softball games in the near future.
Our registration is open on a "register now, pay later" basis. We will hold your spot for spring and keep you informed on the latest return to play updates. You can register now at www.twll.com.
LINK TO CDPH GUIDELINES:
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/outdoor-indoor-recreational-sports.aspx