To: All Members, Affiliates
From: Chris Branscome, Chief Executive Officer
CC: Board of Directors
Date: 11 June 2020
RE: Restart 2020: Additional Stages of Return to Play
After three months, we are entering a more positive phase of this crisis. All counties are now either Green or Yellow. We are about halfway to all counties in Eastern Pennsylvania turning green. All travel restrictions have been lifted so we are a step closer to safely returning to our fields and our friends. We’re in the beginning stages of a gradual return to play.
We are following the directives of the Governor and Pennsylvania Department of Health. As restated in the Governor’s release on June 10, recreational and amateur sports shall only be played in the Green Phase. We will not sanction any activity, with the lone exception of camps, until a county is in the Green Phase. As previously stated, only sanctioned activity will be covered by our insurance.
Be advised that there are still risks and possible exposure to COVID-19 when travelling or being in public. We must do our best as individuals and communities to continue practicing the proposed mitigation strategies from the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. We remind each individual and organization that they must assess the risk and make certain determinations for themselves.
To limit liability, we strongly recommend each organization shares its plan for reopening with all of its members. We recommend posting signage regarding procedures and protocols where appropriate and allowable, to remind members and the general public who may visit your organizations facilities. Your local government may also require you to share a plan as part of their reopening procedures.
Attached are additional stages for the Governor’s Green Phase of reopening Pennsylvania. In consultation with various agencies, we strongly recommend this incremental and gradual approach. We must both safely reopen in response to minimizing the risks of COVID-19, but also safely bring our young athletes back to competitive levels of play and minimize the risk of injury.
RESTART 2020: Additional Stages of Return to Play
Our Restart 2020 provides guidance for each organization towards their local reopening. Organizations will self-determine if they have safely navigated the transitions through the first three stages. The tolerance and acceptance of risk will be different for all. Please respect their decisions regarding their return. Ultimately, no one should sacrifice health and safety for the sake of a speedier restart. Our collective goal is to avoid any setback and revert back to a Yellow or Red Phase.
Our primary goal is to start the new seasonal year on September 1, as always. It’s our hope that we can commence play, as usual, before that date. Should we receive additional guidance allowing us to alter that schedule in a positive way, we will.
Be well. Stay safe.