January 5, 2022
BC Athletics COVID-19 Update:

• Updated PHO Order – Gatherings and Events – as of December 22, 2021

AND

• BC Athletics Proof of (COVID) Vaccination Policy – as of November 20^th, 2021

Statement from BC Athletics:
BC Athletics is committed to ensuring and providing through policies and application, a Safe and Secure Environment for the fun and participation in all aspects / specific interests of Athletics.

To that end BC Athletics encourages all members to continue to practice all health and safety protocols and as is possible, to access the COVID Vaccine and help to:

• Reduce the spread of the COVID virus;
• To keep you safe;
• To keep your friends and family safe;
• To keep all those involved in Athletics safe.

From viaSport – Specific to Sport:
The revised PHO Order on Gatherings and Events has several updates that are relevant to sport. The major changes to be aware of are:

• Outdoor sport programs and events do not require proof of vaccination, which includes supervisors of all sport programs and events.
• Indoor sport programs and events, the Order now clarifies that parents and volunteer supervisors of youth are required to show proof of vaccination. We now have clearer language around who this includes:
  • Those who receive an honorarium, or something similar, are considered volunteers (Section D.8.a)
  • Parents, even if required to be present for a youth sport activity; this includes parent and tot classes (D.8.b).
  • Anyone volunteering with children/youth, which includes those 21 and under (Section D.9)
    • Note: while the order does not apply to employees of sport organizations because Government cannot mandated individuals who they do not contract – The BC Athletics policy over-rides this and does require Proof of Vaccination all those who lead, supervise, or volunteer (employee or non-employee) in youth/adult indoor sport programs.
• For indoor sport programs and events, all individuals who lead, supervise or assist with a program for children and youth must show Proof of Vaccination.
• Scanned Proof of Vaccination will be required as of December 31, 2021, using the BC Vaccine Card Verifier App
• Swimming and activities in swimming pools”. As such, adult sport programs:
  • Poof of vaccination is required for adults accessing swimming pools. Non employed supervisors must show proof of vaccination.
  • Non-employee and employees - coaches/supervisors and spectators are required to show proof of vaccination as they are not participating in the “activity in the pool”.

NOTE: Additional regional health orders are in place in Fraser East***, I
*** Fraser East consists of the following communities: Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission and Agassiz/Harrison

BC Athletics – Proof of (COVID) Vaccination Policy – November 20, 2021
At the November 20^th, 2021 BC Athletics Board of Directors Meeting a BC Athletics Proof of Vaccination Policy was adopted and is effective immediately.

BC Athletics Proof of (COVID) Vaccination Policy:

1. Specific to Indoor Athletics Programs and Events for Children and Youth:
   1. Individuals who are employed to lead, supervise or assist with an Athletics program for children and youth (21 yrs and younger), are, as per the BC Athletics Policy, required to show Proof of (COVID) Vaccination (two doses).
2. The BC Athletics Proof of Vaccination Policy applies to all Individual Members of BC Athletics who are employed in Athletics at the Provincial, Club, Unattached or Business levels of Athletics and who lead, coach, supervise, organize, officiate or assist in the delivery of Athletics programs to children and youth.
3. All other requirements for Outdoor and Indoor Sport as per the viaSport - Return To Sport  – See CHART & FAQ.

• Under the December 22, 2021 Order, these competitions (indoor & outdoor) can continue - with adherence to the Provincial, Regional and Local Health Orders/Restrictions (local restrictions may vary and be more restrictive). Athletics competitions CAN continue as they are:
  • Regularly scheduled competitions (not classed as a tournament)
  • Subject to all Health Orders (Provincial, Regional, Local)
  • Subject to all BC Athletics Health and Safety Policies - including for INDOOR Athletics Training and Competitions:
    • Full vaccination for:
      • All participants age 22 & Older
      • All Coaches – as per the BC Athletics Proof of (COVID) Vaccination Policy of November 20, 2021.
      • All Officials
      • All Volunteers
      • All Event Organizers

High Performance Athletes (CSI-P Registered Athletics Athletes) - as identified by the NSO, PSO, DSO). 

• As per the New Provincial Health Order -  Nothing in this Order prevents a high- performance athlete from training, travelling or competing in sport in accordance with the athlete’s respective provincial or national sports organization and Canadian Sport Institute Pacific COVID-19 safety protocols, and none of the provisions of this Order apply to a high performance athlete when so engaged.

• The order advises that travelling Inter-Provincially and Internationally for Sport should be avoided.

School Sport:

• The PHO Order does not apply to School Sport.
• For information on School Sport please contact:
  • The specific school; or
  • The school district; or
  • BC School Sports

Records of Vaccination:

• Clubs, Event Organizers are allowed to keep written records of proof of vaccination from participants, as long as they have written consent from the participant to do so. These records may only be kept for the purposes of confirming that a participant has been vaccinated, and can be kept until this Order expires or is repealed.

Verifying and Managing Proof of Vaccination:

• BC Athletics Members – Member of BC Athletics Clubs
  • BC Athletics Members Clubs are responsible for:
    • Verifying proof of vaccination along with Government issued photo identification.
    • Maintaining a copy, if they have written consent from the participant, of the proof of vaccination.
    • Note: if the club has consent to retain a copy of Proof of Vaccination, that can be:
      • A paper copy
      • Email copy
      • Other means that replicate the Proof of Vaccination

• Note: if the club does not have consent to retain a copy or does not wish to retain a copy of the Proof of Vaccination, it is recommended that the club:
  • Maintain a list of members who have provided Proof of Vaccination

• Capacity restrictions: The Provincial Health Order has now removed indoor capacity restrictions; however, regional restrictions still currently apply in Fraser East, Interior Health and Northern Health (east of Kitwanga). When deciding which restrictions apply, always follow whichever is strictest.
• Facility exemptions: The previous exemption for ice rinks is no longer in place. For public pools, the exemption still applies except for events including organized sport activities.

Health Orders change frequently and without notice, this is not legal advice and does not provide an interpretation of the law. In the event of any conflict or difference between this webpage and the order, the order is correct and legal and must be followed. 

Thank you for your continued support and compliance with the Provincial Health Orders.
Sincerely,
BC Athletics Board of Directors and Staff.

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Return to Training:

We are excited to announce that we will be resuming our training sessions starting on March 29, 2021 at our outdoor Burnaby Central Secondary School. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding these past few months, as the priority was to ensure health & safety of all of our members, coaches and community. After extensive discussions and review with the City of Burnaby, BC Athletics and all associated governing bodies, we are confident we will be able to restart outdoor training activities for our athletes in a safe and responsible manner. Although the 2021 Track & Field competition season is still under review, Burnaby Striders encourages our athletes to remain active where possible.

There are a few critical steps that you need to take, before rejoining us on March 29th. An email would have been sent out last week with a MANDATORY requirement to complete before you/your athlete is permitted to attend practice. This relates to:

• Informed Consent & Assumption of Risk Agreement
• Release of Liability
• Waiver of Claims & Indemnity Agreement
• Covid-19 Questionnaire, Attestation, Participant Agreement and Contact Tracing Information

If you or your athlete choose to return to training, please note that the following will apply at all sessions and will be enforced by our coaches. We would greatly appreciate your extra cooperation, as these are extraordinary times. Please note the following:

• Participant MUST complete the above mentioned Consent & Attestations before being allowed to train.
• Participant will be asked a pre-screening "Athlete Check-In Questionnaire" and will let the coaches know if they have experienced any of the symptoms in the last 14 days.
• Participant agree to stay home if feeling sick and remain home for 14 days if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
• Participant agrees to sanitize their hands upon entering and exiting the facility, with soap & water or sanitizer.
• Participant agrees to sanitize the equipment (shared and personal equipment) they use throughout their practice with approved cleaning products provided by the club/training group.
• Participant agrees to continue to follow social distancing protocols of staying at least 3m away from others.
• Participant agrees to not share any equipment during practice times.
• Participant agrees to abide by all of their Clubs/Training Group COVID-19 Policies and Guidelines.
• Participant understands that if they do not abide by the aforementioned policies/guidelines that they may be asked to leave the club/training group for up to 14 days to help protect the participant and others around them.
• Participant acknowledges that continued abuse of the policies and/or guidelines may result in the temporary suspension of their club membership.
• Participant acknowledges that there are risks associated with entering training facilities and/or participating in club/training group activities, and that the measures taken by the club/training group and participants, including those set out above and under the COVID-19 Response Plan and Return to Sport Protocols, will not entirely eliminate those risks.

Practices will be held Monday-Thursday from 6:00 - 8:30pm at Burnaby Central (6011 Deer Lake Pkwy, Burnaby, BC) until September 30, 2021. Thereafter, we will be reviewing our indoor contract with the City to better understand what our 2021 Fall indoor training schedule will look like, so further updates to follow on that.

We understand these are difficult times, but have been encouraged to see our local communities come together and take the necessary steps to getting "back to business". We look forward to seeing everyone again, in a safe and responsible manner. Please do take the time to reference the supporting material below. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let us know. Hope to see you all out soon!

Additional Resources & Links can be found below:

Latest Provincial Health Order Update March 16, 2021

Burnaby Striders Return to Training

Burnaby Striders COVID-19 Safety Plan

BC Athletics Return To Training Addendum

Athletics Canada’s Back on Track Guidelines

ViaSport Return to Sport Guidelines

BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool