Return to Play in a COVID Safe Environment Plan July 2020
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Return to Play in a COVID Safe Environment Plan July 2020
Introduction and Purpose:
Water Polo ACT is committed to the health, safety and general
well-being of all our members, affiliated clubs and other
participants in the sport. We are dedicated to providing a safe
environment for everyone to enjoy water polo in the community.
Adherence to this plan is required to support the
recommencement of the sport in the ACT.
Through this plan we aim to ensure that all members of the Water
Polo ACT community are aware of their personal responsibility to
comply with the new health and safety requirements.
There are FOUR elements for a safe return to water polo:
PLAN: Developing, implementing and monitoring plans, processes
and systems to meet government and health requirements.
PREPARE: Ensuring safe facility and participant practices, such as
hygiene practices, attendance registers at training and games
and limiting shared equipment as much as possible.
RESPOND: Being prepared for management of a COVID-19
outbreak, noting that things can change quickly.
RECOVER: Considering protocols to optimise good public and
participant health into the future.
2Overview:
This plan has been developed to consider the above elements
and referencing ACT Government directives along with the
following reference documents:
• ACT Government Return to Play in a COVID-SAFE
Environment Framework
• National Principles for the resumption of sport and recreation
activity
• AIS Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19
Environment
• Sport Australia COVID-19 Return to Sport Toolkit
• Water Polo Australia
• General factsheets and information from the Australian
Government Department of Health.
This plan will remain flexible to respond to possible changes in
COVID-19 restrictions.
Application/Conditions of Membership:
This plan, and all conditions within it, applies to ALL people
involved in water polo in the ACT including players, coaches,
referees, parents/guardians and spectators. All conditions listed
within this plan form part of each ACT Water Polo Clubs’
(Canberra Grammar, Gungahlin Dragons, Nordek and
Tuggeranong Vikings) General Enrolment Terms and Conditions,
effective immediately.
Training or playing water polo in the ACT assumes acceptance of
these conditions. It is the responsibility of all players, coaches,
referees, parents and guardians involved with Water Polo ACT to
review all aspects of this plan to support the safety of everyone.
3Water Polo ACT COVID-19 Safety Coordinator:
In accordance with the Sport Australia COVID-19 Return to Sport
Toolkit, Water Polo ACT has appointed a COVID-19 Safety
Coordinator. The Coordinator is responsible for completing
relevant checklists, overseeing the development, implementation
and monitoring of our return to sport plan and being the point of
contact for members, their families, interstate water polo clubs,
Water Polo Australia and Government / public health authorities.
You can contact our COVID-19 Safety Coordinator at any time as
follows:
Rachel Newman
+61 438 913 196
complaints@actwaterpolo.com
Recommencement of training and games
Water Polo ACT will at all times follow ACT and Federal
Government directives regarding COVID-19 restrictions and the
recommencement and on-going operation of indoor sports and
pools. It is anticipated that our return to training will be a
staggered process based on Government restrictions.
Water Polo ACT will communicate with all members regarding the
commencement dates, timetables and membership fees taking
into consideration our ability to operate in a COVID-19 safe
environment at all times.
4Water Polo ACT may need to make changes to the training
timetables and fixtures to accommodate social distancing and
maximum capacity requirements as directed by the ACT
Government. This will also enable appropriate cleaning and
sanitisation of equipment to occur between games and reduce
overlap of attendees. We ask for your support and patience as
these changes are implemented.
Water Polo ACT will constantly monitor all government directives
and should tighter restrictions be reintroduced, decisions about
the continued operations of training and games will be
communicated to members as soon as possible.
Members at a Higher Risk:
We understand there are members who are at higher risk of
complications from illnesses such as COVID-19. While appropriate
action will be taken to minimise the risk to such members, we
encourage members to consult their GPs or seek appropriate
expert medical advice on returning to the sport and to advise
their club and the COVID-19 Coordinator.
Management of Risk:
We are confident that our new policies and procedures will
support a safe return to water polo for our members and their
families through completion of the various checklists, templates
and consideration of the immense amount of information,
directives and recommendations received by Water Polo ACT
through this time.
Our Board will continue to assess risks and the implementation of
our new procedures to ensure they remain appropriate, relevant
and practical.
5The New Environment – Guidelines and conditions of training and
playing water polo in the ACT.
Your responsibilities / How we will manage illnesses:
Please DO NOT come to a training session or game / bring your
child to a training session or a game / attend a pool if:
• You, your child or anyone in your immediate family is not
well. This includes any cold or flu-like symptoms (runny nose,
fever, cough etc) and gastro symptoms.
• Anyone you have had close* contact with in the past 2
weeks has been tested for or been diagnosed with COVID-
19 OR is unwell with cold or flu-like symptoms, even if you,
your child or others in your immediate family are feeling well.
• You, your child or anyone within your household has
travelled overseas in the preceding 14 days.
Water Polo ACT and its member Clubs reserves the right to
immediately quarantine and remove any person from training or
games who displays any symptoms of illness or who discloses that
they have had contact with a person who is ill, has been ill in the
past two weeks, is awaiting a COVID-19 test result or has been
diagnosed with COVID-19.
Athletes and family members, who have had any symptoms of
any illness may return to training and games only when they have
had 72 hours of no symptoms. For example, if you or your child
wakes on Monday morning with a runny nose, they are required to
be symptom free (i.e. no runny nose) for 72 hours before returning
to training or games.
If you or your child become aware of being exposed to someone
who is being tested for or diagnosed with COVID-19, you must
immediately advise your Club President and the COVID-19 Safety
Coordinator to enable appropriate action to be taken. Strictest
confidentiality will apply.
*The Australian Government Department of Health defines a close contact as being 1.5 metres or closer to somebody for more than 15 minutes.
6What we will do to provide a COVID Safe Environment while at
training and games:
Hygiene:
• Athletes must bring their own towel, goggles, filled drink
bottle, mouth guard, and hand sanitizer to training and
games and must not share these with others. Athletes should
come to the pool already in their swimmers.
• Alcohol-based sanitiser will be available for any player,
coach or referee who forgets to bring their own supply. Pool
facilities will have sanitiser available and may require all
people entering the facility to sanitise on entry.
• Limited sharing of equipment (balls, caps etc.) between
matches, teams and Clubs where possible.
• All scoring volunteers should come to the scoring table with
their own pen and hand sanitiser. Hand sanitiser will be
provided at the scoring table.
• A small number of whistles will be available for any
referee/coach who forgets to bring their own. You will be
invoiced for these. Under no circumstances are whistles to
be shared. There is no evidence that chlorine kills COVID-19
so the practise of dipping whistles into the pool before
sharing will no longer be allowed to occur.
Social / Physical Distancing:
• We will maintain the required ratio of 1 person per 4 square
metres at all times while athletes are training.
• There will be a maximum of four swimmers per lane.
• Outside of training drills and matches, there is to be no
physical contact between athletes, coaches and referees
including hugs, hi fives, handshakes etc.
7• We will limit unnecessary social gatherings before and after
trainings and games and follow the ‘Get in, Train, Get out’
principle.
• Parents and guardians should drop their athlete at training /
games unless they are rostered on to coach, score or
referee. Spectating at training and (at this stage) games will
not be permitted.
Cleaning Protocols:
• Water Polo ACT will follow guidelines regarding cleaning and
hygiene standards to minimise the risk of a COVID-19
outbreak within our water polo community.
• Coaches will be provided with cleaning agents such as
antibacterial wipes and Glen 20 to clean balls and caps
before, during and after training and games.
• Coaches and team managers will ensure that Caps are
washed and sanitised between each training session and
games. Caps are not to be swapped between players
during a game.
• Coaches will ensure that goals are sanitised after play.
• Antibacterial wipes will be provided on the scoring table at
each game to ensure that the scoring machine and pens
are wiped thoroughly between games.
Contact Tracing:
Water Polo ACT encourages all families involved with water polo
to download and activate the COVID Safe app.
Water Polo ACT and all Water Polo ACT Clubs will maintain
accurate attendance records for all trainings and games to
ensure accuracy in the event contact tracing is required.
8Incident Management:
In the event of a COVID-19 positive result within the Water Polo
ACT community, Water Polo ACT will follow all protocols required
by the ACT and Federal Governments to perform contact tracing
and cleaning / sanitisation immediately.
Recovery:
When public health officials determine COVID-19 restrictions in the
ACT can ease further, Water Polo ACT will consult with relevant
authorities to identify criteria for scaling back its COVID-19
prevention procedures. Water Polo ACT will also consider which
protocols should remain to optimise good public and participant
health.
Current guidelines for a return to water polo in the ACT.
The ACT is currently in phase 2.2 of Recommencement For
Community Sports.
The ACT will continue a phased return to community sport,
following the careful easing of restrictions for informal sports that
commenced three weeks ago. Both outdoor and indoor activities
will see a return to competition, with some continued limitations of
group numbers, contact and physical distancing.
From Friday 10 July:
• Full contact sport can recommence competition play.
The maximum group size for participation is increasing to 100
people but physical distancing, good personal and respiratory
hygiene must continue.
Limited sharing of equipment is allowed but proper cleaning and
disinfecting will be required during and between sessions.
Communal facilities such as changerooms and canteens may
now be reopened provided food service requirements are met,
along with general hygiene and physical distancing.
9Aquatic facilities in the ACT may now have up to 100 participants
in a venue, with up to four swimmers per lane.
Outdoor spectators should not exceed the total group gathering
size of 100. The number of spectators allowed in indoor venues
should remain in-line with the 4 square metres per person
requirement with no more than 100 people.
The ACT Government will continue to engage with local sporting
clubs and organisations to ensure they are prepared as these
changes come into effect and have the advice they need to k
Please access the latest Coronavirus FAQ for ACT
Sporting Organisations including pools here.
Winter and Summer Seasons 2020/21
In relation to facility (pool) operations and management, Water
Polo ACT will at all times comply with the Swimming Pool and
Aquatic Centre COVID Safe Plans in place in each individual
facility. All pools (with the exception of Canberra Grammar
School Pool) are hired by Water Polo ACT and therefore Water
Polo ACT is required to follow the individual protocols of each
pool.
Athletes are reminded that as soon as pools are open, they should
commence their own schedule of swim sets until official Club
training commences.
Individual Clubs should confirm directly when their respective
training facilities will reopen and plan their resumption of training
accordingly. All Clubs in the ACT should not resume a formal
training schedule before Monday 20 July 2020.
Water Polo ACT High Performance Training will resume on Monday
20 July 2020. Details on timetable, costs and enrolment
procedures will be sent to members and posted to social media.
10There will be no official Winter competition for the ACT. However,
there may be a tournament style format with 2-3 ‘competition’
days held during Aug and September. Each competition day
would see a team play 4-5 games.
Water Polo ACT is considering the schedule of the 2020/21
Summer season including an extended competition period
commencing in mid-October 2020 and running through to end
March 2021.
Water Polo ACT will keep members informed on representative
interstate competitions as details are released.
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