December 15th Newsletter

Frequently Asked Questions: Recreational Sport Letter of Instruction

Why are these additional instructions needed?

Over the last 2 months, there have been at least 7 outbreaks related to recreational sports & athletics facilities. This has resulted in at least 80 cases of COVID-19, and the requirement of entire sports teams, and school classes having to self-isolate due to exposure to COVID-19. Vaccination continues to provide great protection against COVID-19, but breakthrough cases do happen in fully vaccinated individuals. Layers of protection with other public health measures such as physical distancing, limiting time spent in enclosed spaces with other people, and wearing masks is the best way to protect ourselves from COVID-19. Reducing COVID-19 spread in sports settings will also prevent infections from spreading into schools.

How is it ok for someone to sit close together on the bench, but not in a dressing room?

Sitting without 2 metres separation on a bench or courtside unquestionably poses a significant risk of infection spreading. Keeping as much distance as possible is strongly encouraged. However, the risk is even greater when in a small, enclosed space like a dressing room, rather than the larger, better ventilated playing area. The instructions issued seek to minimize the highest risk activities. Eliminating all risk activities would prevent sports from functioning, which is contrary to our goal.

How can teams limit their time entering and exiting the facility before and after the game to 15 minutes?

We have directed facilities to limit time spent in the facility before and after events. This will reduce crowding, especially in the highest risk areas (enclosed spaces such as dressing rooms) and lessen the spread of COVID-19.
Facilities may stagger scheduled arrival times for the event to limit the number of people using the facilities at any given time and encouraging participants to arrive as ready as possible to minimize dressing done in this space. The expectation is that participants are not spending more than 15 minutes in the enclosed space getting ready for the activity before they move to a better ventilated, larger space such as the playing surface.

Does this 15 minute time limit apply to spectators?

This limit does not apply to spectators who are not spending time in small enclosed spaces such as dressing rooms. Spectators entering the facility must adhere to all requirements of Ontario Regulation 364/20, including being screened for symptoms of COVID-19, wearing a mask in indoor spaces, and have proof of vaccination verified. Ontario’s COVID-19 public health measures and advice summarizes the expectations for spectators and patrons of sports facilities outlined in Ontario Regulation 364/20.

Are any of the activities before or after the game included in the 15 minute time to enter or exit the facility?

Warm-up, pre- and post-game talks are a core part of a sporting activity. These activities are considered part of the event itself, and do not count towards the 15 minutes to enter or exit the facility. These activities should however occur in spaces that are large and well ventilated, rather than a crowded dressing room. Time spent setting up or tearing down equipment for the event is also considered part of the event time itself, and does not count towards the 15 minutes.
Time spent screening and verifying proof of vaccination for all players, volunteers, and coaches while they are entering the facility (of course, maintaining appropriate physical distance) does not count towards these 15 minutes either. The 15 minutes begins only after one has entered the facility.

How can we ensure that participants are maintaining 2 metres of physical distance while dressing?

The number of people permitted in dressing room spaces should be limited to the number that can maintain physical distancing of 2 metres. This capacity limit should be posted by the facility.
Ways to accommodate this distance is using additional space for dressing (e.g. assigning more dressing rooms or larger spaces with better ventilation), or staggering arrival times for participants to limit the number of people in enclosed spaces like the dressing room at any given time.

How can proof of vaccination be managed for larger events such as tournaments?

When proof of vaccination is verified for the purpose of a longer event (such as a tournament), a marker that this person was authorized to enter the facility for the event such as a bracelet may be used to quickly verify that this process has been completed. This process should developed such that proof of vaccination is verified in accordance with the letter of instruction and that marker or bracelet is not removable or transferrable, and that this marker can be easily verified.

For a tournament with multiple teams present over the course of a day, where should they go when they are not competing?

These instructions require that players do not hang out in dressing rooms nor loiter in the facility.
Ideally, players are encouraged to leave the building and attend other local amenities (e.g. coffee shops, restaurants) so that crowding and lack of physical distance is minimized within the sporting facility. Alternately, players may transition to sitting as spectators and be governed by the rules for a spectator under Ontario Regulation 364/20, or where a restaurant exists within the facility, they may attend the restaurant and be governed by the rules for a food service under both Ontario Regulation 364/20 and Niagara’s Section 22 Order on food services.

If proof of vaccination is required for recreational sports facilities, do I still have to wear a mask inside?

All individuals inside indoor businesses and facilities are required to follow the regulations regarding masking in indoor spaces outlined in Ontario Regulation 364/20. Ontario’s guidance on Face Covering and Face Masks describes when and where masks must be worn. Multiple layers of protection against COVID-19 are important: masking, vaccination, physical distancing and reducing time in enclosed poorly ventilated spaces all work together to protect you from COVID-19.

My child is turning 12 years old early in 2022. They have their first dose now as an 11 year old, but will not yet have had time to get their second dose by their birthday. Are they not going to be able to participate in sports?

There will be a grace period for children turning 12 years old early in 2022 and they will be able to continue in sports and recreational athletics without interruption. As this is an issue affecting all areas where the province has created a proof of vaccination requirement, Niagara Region Public Health will align with the province’s grace period when it is announced so that there is consistency. The exact details of the grace period will be shared as soon as the province announces it.

Ontario implements new measures to protect long-term care and retirement homes

Effective immediately, all general visitors to a long-term care home will need to be fully vaccinated to enter. In addition, the ministry will be directing all long-term care homes to increase infection prevention and control (IPAC) audits.

Here are some of the measures at long-term care homes that will also go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, December 17, 2021:

• Testing of all staff, students, volunteers, and caregivers, regardless of vaccination status, at least twice a week prior to entry into the home as part of enhanced active screening practices.
• Requiring a negative test upon entry to a long-term care home for all visitors and support workers who provide essential services to a resident or to the facility unless they had a negative test the day before.
• Requiring caregivers to be fully vaccinated unless they have a valid medical exemption or are attending to a resident in a palliative end-of-life situation. Caregivers will be required to have a first dose by December 20, 2021 and all required doses to be considered fully vaccinated by February 21, 2022. In the interim, designated caregivers who are not fully vaccinated would need to restrict their visit to the resident’s room.
• Limiting indoor visits to a maximum of two people per resident at a time and outdoor visits, where feasible, to a maximum total of four people per resident at a time.

To further protect retirement home residents and staff from the spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, Ontario is also enhancing its COVID-19 policies in retirement homes effective December 22, 2021 to keep residents safe, including:

• Requiring rapid antigen testing for staff, volunteers, contractors and essential caregivers, regardless of vaccination status, two times per week prior to entry into the home as part of enhanced active screening practices.
• Requiring rapid antigen testing for general visitors and support workers entering a retirement home, regardless of vaccination status.
• Strongly encouraging retirement homes to restrict general visitors to only those who are fully vaccinated and implementing additional requirements for essential visitors and general visitors who are not fully vaccinated when entering a retirement home.
• Limiting the number of visitors and group sizes for social activities and events.

Click here for complete details.

CALL TO ARTISTS – CIRCUS SESSIONS #6 

Circus Sessions 2022 

in partnership Lab De Cirque (TOHU, The Cultch, Femmes du Feu Creations) 

Date: April 11-17th, 2022 (subject to change) 

Artist fee: $1000 

Where: The Bank Art House, Welland, Ontario 

Project Description: Circus Sessions is a creative residency for circus artists and multidisciplinary artists who intersect with circus, originally conceived by Holly Treddenick and Lynanne Sparrow. 

In this 6th iteration of Circus Sessions, we focus hyper local and hyper now with mentors and all artists from across Ontario. Alex Bulmer (Common Boots Theatre) and Angola Murdoch (LookUp Theatre) will guide artists through a week of exploration, play and collaboration focusing on telling our stories and working through the unique approach of “de-centralized vision” developed by Alex Bulmer. We will also participate in a 3-hour writing and movement workshop lead by dance artist Sara Porter. At the end of the residency, we will welcome an audience in 2 public showings of the discoveries and creations. 

Who should apply:  Ontario-based circus artists across disciplines, or artists whose work intersects with circus. Artists who are ready to share and experiment. Priority will be given to artists who can also commit to Lab De Cirque. 

Apply HERE by January 15th, 2022. – nqzva@srzzrfqhsrh.pbz 

LAB DE CIRCQUE- NEW THIS YEAR! 

Circus Sessions 2022 will be in partnership with LAB DE CIRQUE running from January – December 2022. Artists applying to Circus Sessions must be available for the Lab de Cirque activity. 

The Laboratoire de Cirque is a new, year-long artist development program organized by TOHU in collaboration with Canadian presenting organizations in three provinces and supported by the Canada Council on the Arts. Over the course of the calendar year 2022, the program aims to support circus artists as they develop their creators voice, as directors, choreographers, writers/dramaturgs, or guides of collective creation, through arts exposure and mentorship. 

Participating artists will enrich and hone their unique creative visions by immersing themselves in a range of performing arts languages, through master classes with practitioners; attendance of and discussion about performances; and critical and contemplative writing. 

Who should apply: 

TOHU (Montréal), La Chapelle (Montréal), The Cultch (Vancouver), and Femmes du Feu Creations (Welland, ON) invite circus artists to apply from across the career spectrum. Individual artists and groups are welcome to apply. Applicants will be asked to describe a project currently in creation which you plan to use as your ‘guinea pig’ during the program (project changes/substitutions will be permitted over the course of the program if necessary), as we are seeking artists who are actively working on a new piece or who have a clear intention of a piece they intend to create. 

Priority will be given to artists who have participated in the following initiatives: 

Circus Sessions (Femmes du Feu Creations), TOHU residency program; Week-Ends Cirque at TOHU 2021; MICC Virtual Showcases 2021, L’autre Cirque 2019/2020; Laboratoire de cirque meetings 2018-2020 (La Chapelle); Transform Cabaret Festival (Cultch). 

Artists from historically oppressed populations are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Participant Commitment: Over 12 months, participants should commit to the following: 

– Attending between 2 and 7 in-person workshops (depending on location) and up to 5 online workshops 

– Attending 6 performances, including in-person and online, and participating in group discussions afterward 

– Engaging in prompted, responsive writing on your own time, and submitting a creative vision statement at the conclusion of the program. 

Honorarium 

Accepted Participants will receive: 

– A $500 honorarium 

– 1 complimentary ticket to each of 6 performances (4 live, 2 online) 

– travel fees are not covered 

Apply HERE by January 15th, 2022. – nqzva@srzzrfqhsrh.pbz