HSA Select COVID-19 Coordinators

Jamie Foulk, [email protected], 206-619-2234
Tom Gass, [email protected], 206-295-5590
Please leave message for return call.

October 21, 2020 the WA State Dashboard lists King County at 93.5 (HIGH LEVEL >75 cases/100K/14 days OR >5% positivity)

King County moved from MODERATE LEVEL to HIGH LEVEL COVID Activity October 15th.

Therefore weekend games (Oct 17-18, Oct 24-25 and Oct 31-Nov 1) have been CANCELED.

During HIGH LEVEL COVID Activity, practice and training sessions may continue in maximum groups of 6 players with NO scrimmages or games.

• We can train in groups of 6 players maximum (previously it was 5).
  
• We are allowed "brief close contact (ex: 3 on 3 drills)" -- see reference below.
  
• PLEASE refer to the HSA Return to Play Action Plan for additional details.
  
• IF WYS provides additional guidance on training when King County is in a HIGH status, we will pass it along.
  

Our HSA Return to Play Action Plan (approved by Seattle Parks) is based on the guidance from WA State Governor's Office and Washington Youth Soccer (WYS).

• HIGH LEVEL COUNTY COVID ACTIVITY (>75 cases/100K/14 days OR >5% positivity)
  
• MODERATE LEVEL COUNTY COVID ACTIVITY (25-75 cases/100K/14 days AND <5% positivity)
  
• LOW LEVEL COUNTY COVID ACTIVITY (<25 cases/100K/14 days AND <5% positivity)
  

HIGH LEVEL COUNTY COVID ACTIVITY >75 cases/100K/14 days OR >5% positivity

Team practices and/or training can resume for low, medium, and high risk sports if players are limited to groups of six in separate parts of the field/court, separated by a buffer zone. Brief close contact (ex: 3 on 3 drills) is permitted. It is preferable for the groups of six to be stable over time. Attendance rosters should include group contact information. Each league, organization, or club must publish and follow a “return to play” safety plan. Any practice or training activities that can be done outdoors should be done outdoors.

SOURCE:  Professional Sports & Other Sporting Activities COVID-19 Requirements – WA Governor’s Office (posted October 6, 2020)

If the WA State Dashboard is updated and King County moves back to the MODERATE LEVEL (25-75 rate per 100K of newly diagnosed cases over two weeks), then we will issue an update. We will be checking the Dashboard around 5PM daily.

October 21, 2020: Games cancelled Oct 24/25 and Oct 31/Nov 1.
View message to membership.

October 16, 2020

Hello HSA Select Families -

 On October 6th, Governor Inslee’s office issued requirements and changes on how the state measures all athletic activity. We no longer need to wait until Phase 3 as long as we have enhanced safety protocols in place. Since then, we have been building new safety protocols into our Return to Play Action Plan, processes and monitoring dashboards for the Covid numbers.

 For those that like the detail, you can read up on the Governor's guidance HERE. In short, soccer is a 'moderate' risk sport, and so if the dashboard numbers also fall in the 'moderate' category (between 25-75 new cases per 100k people over 2 weeks, AND less than 5% positivity rate), we can play games. Unfortunately, on October 14, the WA Covid Risk Dashboard listed that King County has moved above the magic number of 75, which means we are now not allowed to play games until the number goes below 75.

 On October 13th, we met with all the HSA Select coaches to review the Covid safety protocols we all need to be following. We encourage you all to review our Return to Play Action Plan as well as the guidance provided by the NPSL, as it applies to everyone at the field - coach, player and parent. 

 Weekly communications

 We will try to send out a notice each Wednesday evening regarding games for the upcoming weekend, and will update a note at the top of our home page. Washington Youth Soccer Return to Play page now posts a red/green update for all WA counties on Wed evening (also posted above).

 HSA Select Committee

 If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to your coach or the HSA Select Committee ([email protected]).

References:

• Washington Youth Soccer Return to Play Guidelines
• North Puget Sound League Protocols – Modified Phase 2 / Phase 3 Return to Play
• Professional Sports & Other Sporting Activities COVID-19 Requirements – WA Governor’s Office (posted October 6, 2020)
• Sporting Activities Frequently Asked Questions – WA Governor’s Office (posted October 13, 2020)
• COVID-19 - risk assessment dashboard (Washington State)