Sunshine Coast youth soccer teams have been cleared by public health officials to travel off-Coast to play soccer this weekend, but the local COVID Physician Task Force is not changing its recommendation to avoid unnecessary trips on the ferry.
“We stand by our recommendation to avoid all non-essential travel and to avoid close contact with people outside your household,” task force spokesman Dr. Daren Spithoff told Coast Reporter Saturday.
“We do have concerns about travelling in a vehicle for two hours or more with people outside of your household, as it is very difficult to maintain appropriate precautions in that setting (even if masks are worn the entire time and physical contact is limited),” Spithoff said in an email.
However, he said the task force also recognizes that the Sunshine Coast Youth Soccer Association (SCYSA) has done its due diligence and developed an approved safety plan in consultation with the appropriate bodies.
“We would see this as similar to businesses who do group indoor physical activities – as long as their safety plan is consistent with the current Public Health order, it is reasonable to proceed,” Spithoff said.
“At the end of the day, each family has to decide what constitutes an acceptable level of risk for them, and what constitutes an essential reason to travel. As always, it is important that we treat each other with respect (even when we disagree), and that we continue to work together to protect our community, and especially our most vulnerable, as best we can.”
Spithoff said he spoke with SCYSA president Jay Ritchlin Friday night “and came to an understanding that the SCYSA situation is an exception to the general rule (with parents having the option to opt out if they do not feel comfortable with travelling into Vancouver under the current circumstances).”
Ritchlin had also contacted Coast Reporter Friday night, saying the task force’s Nov. 10 community update recommendation against non-essential travel for sports is not, in the case of soccer, “informed by or in line with the approvals from the appropriate provincial health and sport bodies (BC Health Authority, ViaSport and BC Soccer).”
The task force recommendation “is causing uncertainty and distress” among some association members, Ritchlin said.
The SCYSA is not an exception, he added, as all travelling soccer teams in the Vancouver Coastal Health region have been cleared for travel to games within the region.
“We have done all the necessary due diligence to allow safe travel within the Vancouver Coastal Health region for sanctioned events.”
Since the Nov. 7 public health order, he said, “the SCYSA, the North Shore YSA, the BC Coastal Soccer League, SC Soccer, ViaSport and the Provincial Health Authority have worked really hard to be sure we all understood what was allowed or not… We have emphasized safe travel and participation rules and guidelines to our members in advance of this weekend’s games.”
Ritchlin said the association “is taking the COVID situation very seriously and doing everything we can to allow our kids to get the acknowledged health and well-being benefits of outdoor sport in a safe manner that is in line with Provincial Health Authority guidance and rules.”
Spithoff said the task force appreciates “all the work that the SCYSA has put in to ensure their players and their players’ families are as safe as possible during this pandemic, and we heartily commend the SCYSA for providing opportunities for our local youth to stay active and engaged in sport.”
