What can a coach do to help stop team/player COVID exposure at games and practices?

1. Encourage players to social distance before and after practice.
2. Space players 6 feet apart on the sidelines.
3. Players and coaches need to wear a mask indoors.
4. Encourage families to limit spectators, wear masks at all times and social distance on the sidelines.

What are the steps if a coach, player or official gets COVID?

1. Any coach, staff, official, player, or family member that is sick or experiencing any symptoms should not attend any WAA sports activity. 
2. Any coach, staff, official, player, or family member that has been exposed to COVID-19 and is supposed to be quarantining should not attend any WAA sports activity.
3. If a coach, staff, player or official becomes sick with COVID-19 symptoms, and tests positive for COVID-19, the individual or parent must contact anyone that they had close contact with and contact WAA at [email protected]. 
   1. Close Contact through Proximity and Duration of Exposure: Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).
   2. An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting from 2 days before they have any symptoms (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days before the positive specimen collection date), until they meet criteria for discontinuing home isolation.
4. Except in certain circumstances, people who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 should quarantine. However, the following people with recent exposure may NOT need to quarantine:
   1. People who have been fully vaccinated*
   2. People who were previously diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last three months
5. Finally, if any coaches, staff members, officials, or players get sick, they should not return until they have met CDC’s criteria to discontinue home isolation.

If a player on a team tests positive for COVID-19, does the entire team (if they had been in close contact with that athlete) have to quarantine for 14 days, as the CDC recommends?

Maybe.  It is important to determine if your team or coaches are considered close contacts of the player who tested positive for COVID-19. Individuals who recently had close contact (within 6 feet or less for a cumulative of 15 min or more within a 24-hour period) with a person with COVID-19 should follow CDC’s guidance for when you can be around others.

The best way to protect yourself and others is to stay home for 14 days if you think you’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.

Check the IDPH website for information about options in your area to possibly shorten this quarantine period.  Contact WAA ([email protected] or 630-978-2855) if it is determined your team has been exposed by close contact.  WAA will send notifications to players and reschedule games. 

*Quarantine if you have been in close contact (within 6 feet of someone for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone who has COVID-19, unless you have been fully vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated do NOT need to quarantine after contact with someone who had COVID-19 unless they have symptoms. However, fully vaccinated people should get tested 3-5 days after their exposure, even if they don’t have symptoms and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until their test result is negative.  The most up to date CDC guidance on when to quarantine:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html