Youth sports guidelines laid out for return June 15

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear released guidelines on Friday that youth sports can resume some sort of activity on June 15 with games and competition in some sports able to begin June 29.

The youth sports and activities are broken into four groups.

Low touch, outdoor youth sports and athletic activities (track and field, biking, tennis, golf, mini-golf, horseback riding, and cross-country, and baseball/softball/teeball) may resume practices without competition on June 15. Practices should consist of ten youths or fewer, with no more than one adult coach per group.

On June 29, low touch, outdoor youth sports and athletic activities may resume competition with up to fifty spectators following the Healthy at Work social distancing guidelines. Competitions, practices, and other activities must adhere to the social distancing guidelines.

Low touch, indoor youth sports and athletic activities (gymnastics, swimming, diving, bowling, solo-dance/solo-ballet, tap-dance, and archery) may resume small group practices and workouts without competition. Practices and workouts should consist of ten youths or fewer, with no more than one adult coach per group.

On June 29, low touch, indoor youth sports and athletic activities may resume competition with up to fifty spectators, following the Healthy at Work social distancing guidelines. Competitions, practices, and other activities must adhere to the social distancing guidelines.

High touch, indoor youth sports and athletic activities (karate/martial arts, basketball, cheerleading, tandem or team dance, ice hockey, volleyball, fencing, wrestling) may hold small group physical fitness workouts, exercises, and skills training of ten youths or fewer, with no more than one adult coach per group, while following the Healthy at Work social distancing guidelines for groups of 10 or fewer. No competition is permitted and skills training must be socially distanced with no touch, and low sharing, unless necessary to protect the health or safety of a youth participant. Any individual not essential for the conduct of these practices should not attend.

On June 29, high touch, indoor youth sports and athletic activities may resume team/group practices without competition. Youth participants should be subdivided small groups of ten youths or fewer, with no more than one (1) adult coach per group, while following the Healthy at Work social distancing guidelines. All team/group practices are limited to fifty youths or fewer, in accordance with the Healthy at Work social distancing guidelines. Practices are limited to low touch, medium sharing activities, unless necessary to protect the health or safety of a youth participant. Multiple groups may practice but must adhere to the social distancing guidelines.

High touch, outdoor youth sports and athletic activities (football, soccer, lacrosse, flag football, field hockey) may resume small group physical fitness workouts, exercises of youths or fewer, with no more than one adult coach per group. No competition is permitted. Skills training must be socially distanced, no touch, and low sharing, unless necessary to protect the health or safety of a youth participant. Multiple groups may hold small group physical fitness workouts and exercises, but groups must adhere to the social distancing guidelines in the next section. Any individual not essential for the conduct of these practices should not attend.

On June 29, High touch, outdoor youth sports and athletic activities may resume team/group practices without competition. Youth participants should be in subdivided small groups of ten youths or fewer, with no more than one adult coach per group, while following the Healthy at Work social distancing guidelines. All team/group practices are limited to fifty youths or fewer, in accordance with the Healthy at Work social distancing guidelines. Practices are limited to low touch, medium sharing activities, unless necessary to protect the health or safety of a youth participant. Multiple groups may practice but must adhere to the social distancing guidelines.

The youth sports guidelines also do the following:

— Discourage unnecessary physical contact, such as high fives, handshakes, fist bumps, or hugs. To encourage sportsmanship league officials, coaches, and other responsible adults should encourage alternative, socially distanced, signs of mutual respect. (e.g. tip the cap, wave, salute, bow).

— Eliminate, to the greatest extent practicable, touching of shared equipment and gear (e.g., protective gear, balls, bats, racquets, mats, or water bottles). Where practicable, league officials, coaches, and other responsible adults should provide individual, non-shared equipment to youth athletes. Where not practicable, league officials, coaches, and other responsible adults should encourage youth athletes to provide their own equipment and water bottles.

— Decrease team sizes to the greatest extent practicable.

— Eliminate travel competitions or scrimmages outside of the local community (e.g., neighborhood, town, or community).

— Create and post a cleaning and sanitizing plan specific to the youth sport or athletic activity, describing how additional cleaning and sanitizing will be implemented.

— Sanitize equipment and used items before, during, and after every event. If equipment cannot be sanitized during the activity, only participants of a single team/group must use equipment and items related to the activity and opposing participants or group members must avoid touching that equipment.

— League officials, coaches, and other responsible adults should conduct daily health checks (e.g., symptom checking) of coaches, officials, staff, and youth athletes safely and respectfully to the greatest extent practicable.

— League officials, coaches, and other responsible adults should do the following:

— Wear face coverings at all times, unless doing so would represent a serious risk to their health or safety.

— Ensure youth athletes wear cloth face coverings or masks when not actively participating in the youth sport or athletic activity, unless doing so would represent a serious risk to their health or safety.

— Youth athletes who are five (5) years of age or under should not wear masks due to increased risks of suffocation and strangulation.

— Recommend to the parents of children over five (5) that their child wear a mask and provide information about the benefits of masking.

— Establish a policy as to whether to allow parents, custodial adults, or other spectators attend youth sports competitions or events if the individual refuses to wear a face covering or comply with social distancing guidelines.

— Ensure gloves are available to staff members, coaches, volunteers engaging in high-touch activity to the greatest extent practicable provided that they do not create additional hazards while being worn.

The plan also said the KHSAA will issue further guidance to its schools including the requirements for facilities use.