Young Nanaimo soccer players will be sidelined again this weekend.
This week, the province brought in new health orders in the face of dramatic increases in Covid 19 cases.
The health orders include a ban on indoor and outdoor gatherings, and on spectators for sports.
The Nanaimo United Soccer Club says it has suspended all youth activities this weekend, and is working on a safe restart plan.
Earlier Post:
The Nanaimo United Soccer Club has suspended all of its practices this week, after someone in the club tested positive for Covid 19.
The club was informed on Friday, and postponed the weekend’s activities.
In a letter to members, the club says “We have followed our club illness plan which is in compliance with ViaSport, BC Soccer, and Public Health policies. All necessary precautions have been followed with the cohort affected informed and Island Health notified. If they haven’t already, Island Health will contact any persons potentially affected and provide instructions on how to proceed. At this point, no news is good news.”
The club cited a number of factors in suspending games:
- case numbers and potential exposure events are rising in the Central Island area;
- capacity limitations of their small staff in the event other cases were to arise;
- growing anxiety among the community; and
- the importance of reaffirming their commitment to doing their part to minimize potential spread.
The club says it will reassess the situation on Thursday and decide on the safest way forward based on feedback from Island Health and Provincial Health Directives. Its activities will remain suspended until a restart plan is in place.
“There is no doubt that during the past two weeks, the global pandemic has landed on our doorstep here in Nanaimo. We have a firm commitment to our membership, staff, and community to do our part in minimizing the risks associated with COVID-19, and we are placing safety and caution at the forefront of each decision we make.
Please take a moment to recall Island Health directives which state:
- Close contacts of a confirmed case will be contacted directly by Island Health and asked to quarantine for 14 days.
- If you are not contacted by Island Health then you are not considered a close contact and are free to attend regular activities, remembering to stay home if you feel ill or show any symptoms of illness.
- If you are not contacted by Island Health but feel that you may have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID case, please contact Island Health and remain at home until you receive further instruction.”
Resources:
- You can perform an online health check here: https://bc.thrive.health/covid19/en
- See a sample health check here: http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/COVID_public_guidance/Guidance-k-12-schools.pdf#page=23
- More information on Exposures in Schools can be found here: https://www.islandhealth.ca/learn-about-health/covid-19/exposures-schools
