This safety plan is specific to indoor volleyball sessions offered to Junior Cascades athletes during the 2021 Club Season. The plan was developed based on the Return to Play Guidelines released by Volleyball BC and ViaSport and may be updated by the Junior Cascades should further amendments be received.

Prior to Play:

• Parents or Guardians must submit completed UFV Liability Waiver Form prior to participation. Blank forms will be emailed to athletes and hard copies will be available on site. Completed forms must be handed in on the first day of practice in order to participate.
• All participants (athletes, parents, coaches etc...) must don a face mask before entering the facility and keep it on until instructed otherwise. 
• Athletes must enter the facility using designated entrances and must maintain physical distance during check-in and while walking to their specific court.
• All participants, coaches, volunteers/staff will be screened with a symptom questionnaire before the start of each session. If any individual is showing signs of the cold, flu, or COVID-19 with coughing or sneezing, or if they have been in contact with anyone displaying these symptoms, they will be immediately removed from the activity.
• Please arrive no earlier than 5 minutes prior to the start time of your practice session to ensure safe switches between athlete groups. 
• Completion of the symptoms questionnaire, check-in, form collection, etc will happen at the Check-In table or at the practice court by the coaches... Physical distance must be maintained while check-in occurs.
• Coaches will take attendance and record athlete’s names for each session for contact tracing purposes.
• All participants and coaches must sanitize their hands prior to entering the court area and touching provided balls and/or equipment.
• While gearing up to start training (putting on shoes, knee pads, ankle braces...), athletes must maintain physical distance and store their bags, water bottles etc... in allocated areas. A face mask must be worn up until physical activity begins.

Key Safety Measures During Play:

• Athletes in each age category/roster will be grouped as a Cohort. Cohorts are defined by Volleyball BC as “a group of participants who primarily interact with each other within the sport environment over an extended period of time (eg. series of events)”
• When in a cohort, individuals do not need to maintain physical distance unless otherwise instructed ***as of December 2nd, 3m spacing must be maintained at all times***
• Participants are encouraged to minimize the number of cohorts that they are involved in to reduce the number of individuals that they are interacting with.
• Off court, physical distancing should be maintained between all participants. If physical distancing cannot be maintained masks should be worn.
• Athlete numbers at each session will be capped based on facility guidelines with a maximum 12 athletes per court (6 players per side).
• Coaches will maintain physical distancing from the athletes while coaching and a face mask must always be worn.
• Non-essential physical contact (eg. high fives, hugs) should be minimized.
• No sharing of water bottles, towels, or other personalized items.
• During scheduled water breaks, all participants must re-sanitize their hands.
• All participants are asked to avoid touching their face whenever possible. If a random cough or sneeze occurs, we ask that the cough or sneeze is done into the athlete’s elbow.
• If inadvertent face contact occurs, the athlete will be expected to sanitize their hands with the supplied hand sanitizer before touching volleyballs again.

After Play:

• Athletes must exit courts and facilities immediately using assigned exits following a training session in order to allow for proper cleaning/sanitizing.

Parents and Spectator Responsibilities:

• Unfortunately, due to space restrictions and COVID safety regulations, parents/guardians/spectators will not be permitted to stay and watch during the indoor sessions. 
• Parents/guardians must drop off their daughters/sons and remain outside. 
• Upon pick-up, parents/guardians are asked to wait outside for the athletes to exit. Physical distance must be maintained while waiting.

Gear and Equipment:

• Volleyballs, nets and other gear in contact with participants will be disinfected prior to and after each session. Coaches will be in charge of equipment sanitization, set up and take down.
• Balls will be separated by court/group and will not be shared between courts/groups without sanitizing them first.
• If a ball being used by another court/group travels to another court/group, it must only be sent back using feet in a kicking motion.
• During scheduled breaks, balls that have been used will be sanitized before being being put back in circulation.

If Symptoms Develop:

• If a participant develops symptoms of COVID-19 recognized by the BC Centre of Disease Control during a session, they must immediately don a face mask, notify the coach and return home. A designated isolation area will be available for the athlete while they wait for a parent/guardian to pick them up.
• If a participant develops symptoms after having been at a session, they must immediately inform the club and remain at home. The other participants will be informed that they may have been exposed, but the name of the symptomatic participant will not be disclosed unless necessary.
• Participants who develop symptoms of COVID-19 must immediately contact public health or their physician for advice on being treated.
• If the participant is tested, they must self-isolate at home until the results of the test are known. If the test results come back negative, the participant must seek medical advice on when they may return to full participation in the indoor volleyball sessions.
• If a test is either not available or not recommended, the participant must self-isolate at home for a minimum of 10 days from the onset of symptoms, and until their symptoms are completely resolved (ie. it may be longer than the minimum 10 days). Self-isolating individuals should call public health or their personal physician for medical advice and for advice on when they are fit to safely return to indoor volleyball.
• Participants who live in the same household as a person with confirmed or clinical COVID-19 symptoms who is self-isolating must also self-isolate and not return to indoor volleyball sessions until cleared to do so by public health officials.
• Participants who are self-isolating are not to return to indoor volleyball sessions until: (1) they are cleared to do so by public health officials and (2) they have notified the head coach that they have received the required clearance. 

Public Health Orders:

• If an individual receives orders from Public Health to self-isolate, please notify your coach and do not attend practices until the isolation period ends.
• If an individual receives orders from Public Health to self-monitor, that individual may continue to attend practices unless symptoms develop or unless directed otherwise. If symptoms develop, follow the protocols listed under the "If Symptoms Develop" section of this document. 
• If anyone is unsure on how to address a particular case, please call 8-1-1 and follow the directions given by Public Health.