In light of the news announced on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, and effective Saturday, August 7, 2021, by the Province of Manitoba tied to the ongoing global pandemic, several changes have been made tied to indoor and outdoor sports in Manitoba. Those include...
- INDOOR & OUTDOOR BASKETBALL:
- PARTICIPANT NUMBERS: Allowance with no maximum participant number restrictions for indoor and outdoor basketball to gather for games, tournaments, practices, training and camps. Under the Canada Basketball Return Plan, this would equate to Phase 5 of their plans.
- SPECTATORS: The number of spectators at an indoor or outdoor basketball facility must not exceed 50% of the facility's usual spectator capacity, with all spectators socially distancing from others while at the facility. Facilities also reserve the right to admit spectators or not at the moment and may also require mask use.
- MASKS: Indoor basketball facilities in Manitoba will be setting their own mask-wearing policies with the Province eliminating the indoor mask mandate.
- The Sport Manitoba Courts will be requiring participants (players, coaches, officials) to wear a mask when inside the facility. Those ages 12+ who are fully vaccinated will have the option to remove their mask while active on the court (at the moment, no proof of vaccination will be asked for). Players ages 11 and under will be required to keep a mask on at all times anytime inside the Sport Manitoba facility.
- Basketball Manitoba strongly recommends the above statement to be respected by all participants be it at the Sport Manitoba Courts or at any other basketball facility in Manitoba and to respect the mask requirements set at other facilities as they may vary.
- SOCIAL DISTANCING: Social distancing (2m) is to be maintained at all times between players, coaches and officials when not active on the court and are expected to follow all other restrictions imposed by a facility when using change rooms/washrooms.
- PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS: The wording of Public Health Orders #12 and #13 are included below.
Additional Details...
- Basketball Manitoba stresses that coaches lead a gradual return to basketball over the coming weeks and months understanding that athletes may not have been active for a long period of time with a focus on athlete health and injury prevention being stressed during all training. More information on this topic can be found in the Canada Basketball Return Plan. (pages 5-8)
- All equipment including basketballs and hands are to be properly sanitized before and after all training sessions. Sanitizer Notes:
- A liquid form of hand sanitizer with 70%+ alcohol content in a spray bottle works well-cleaning basketballs and other equipment with a clean rag and on hands at the same time.
- The cleaner dries fast and leaves no residue or smell on the basketball or hands and shows no damaging effects to rubber or synthetic basketball.
- The liquid sanitizer and empty spray bottles can be purchased at home repair and department stores including Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Lowe's, Home Hardware, Walmart and many other locations including many online retailers.
- Contact information must be kept by the head coach or program/league organizer of all participants and may be requested by the facility or Manitoba Public Health for contact tracing purposes.
- It is strongly recommended that training groups and teams follow the "rule of 2" in seeing at least 2 coaches present during any games or practices.
- The full Basketball Manitoba Return to Play Guidelines with the above exceptions remain in place can be found HERE.
The sport of basketball in Manitoba will remain in this state until at least Tuesday, September 7, 2021, or when the new health orders are updated or changed by Manitoba Public Health.
---
The new Manitoba Public Health Orders that were released on August 6 tied to sports specifically state...
ORDER 12
12(1) Subject to subsection (2), outdoor sporting and recreational facilities may open with no further restrictions under these Orders.
12(2) Except as permitted under Orders 14 and 15, the number of spectators at an outdoor sporting or recreational facility must not exceed 50% of the usual spectator capacity of the facility.
ORDER 13
13 Indoor sporting and recreational facilities may open if the operator
(a) restricts the number of spectators at the facility to 50% of the usual spectator capacity of the facility; and
(b) implements measures to ensure that members of the public who are not engaged in sporting or recreational activities are reasonably able to maintain a separation of at least two metres from other members of the public while at the facility.
Source: https://manitoba.ca/asset_library/en/proactive/20212022/orders-soe-08052021.pdf
---
Sport Manitoba Memos - August 5, 2021
|
MEMO #2: In regards to the new public health orders beginning this Saturday, August 7 at 12:01 a.m., please note that to keep our community safe, masks remain mandatory when entering and exiting the Sport Manitoba building, as well as in high traffic areas such as reception, water fountains, bathrooms, and when moving throughout the facility. Note:
- Fully Vaccinated individuals have the option to remove their mask during physical activity only
- We require all those under 12 to wear a mask
Below are adjustments to restrictions for specific areas of the facility along with a reminder of current hours of operation:
- Sport Manitoba facility, including the parkade, courts, flex space, and Fitness Centre, will be open:
- 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Friday
- 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
- Outside these operating hours, you must enter through the main entrance on Pacific Avenue
- Courts may have spectators up to a maximum of 50 people per court and must be socially distanced as of Saturday, August 7 at 12:01 a.m.
- Meeting rooms
- Will remain closed and will be reassessed following Labour Day long weekend
Facility signage will be updated to remind all who enter to wear masks in our public spaces.
Thank you for your ongoing patience and cooperation as we adjust to these changes. We will continue to keep you informed.
—-
NOTE: If there is a discrepancy between any Basketball Manitoba statement to the actual Manitoba Public Health Orders, the public health orders will always take precedence.
Basketball Manitoba will continue to monitor the current public health orders and make any updates or revisions as needed. This article will be updated as further information on these impacts are known.
More details on these changes can be found on the Province of Manitoba website.