Hello Heat families,
We have all been so excited to return to the sport we love. The preseason is just a couple of weeks away and many of you will be playing on Labor Day weekend. As has been the case this past year, we do our best to keep abreast of the ever-changing landscape regarding COVID-19. Within the last few days, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has issued a new “Protocol for Organized Youth Sports” as it relates to COVID-19 that is effective September 1, 2021. The Health Officer order mandates that youth sports leagues must do the following:
When indoors, all participants (players and coaches), regardless of vaccination status, are required to bring and wear masks. Youth sports participants (players and coaches) must wear a face mask even while engaging in physical activity in any indoor setting (this includes while on the ice). Spectators attending indoor events must wear masks.
- Weekly COVID testing is required for all non-vaccinated participants (players and coaches).
- In addition, testing must be performed within three days of any inter-team competition and results must be available before the competition begins or the athlete or staff member may not be present at the competition
You can read the full LA County Protocol by clicking here.
As we all know, these types of things can be very fluid. As such, we will continue to monitor the issuances from the LA County Department of Public Health for any updates. We are also in constant communication with our leagues and our club is currently working on the details of our COVID-19 policy. We want to ensure we are following the LA County protocols noted above. We expect to share the policy with you all shortly and appreciate your patience and understanding.
If you are attending the Labor Day tournament in Santa Clarita next week, the new protocols will apply to your team. Communication from the event organizer has been sent to your team managers and they will be communicating next steps to you.
Sincerely,
California Heat Executive Board