As many of you are aware, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball issued a ‘Mask Mandate’ on 12/26/21 in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the county. A summary is below: “With the rapidly multiplying number of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron and Delta variants, positivity rates in double digits, and increases in hospitalization, this is a necessary step to further protect our residents,” said Ball. “Being vaccinated, getting a booster, and wearing a mask are the three best ways to protect yourself and those around you. Therefore, masks will be required indoors in all businesses and facilities open to the public, as well as public transportation in the county."
In response, the following updated ELEV8 operational guidelines listed below (for practices and games) are based on much prayer, numerous conversations, and updated CDC guidelines. While the ELEV8 guidelines below won’t please all participating households, we believe they will allow the program to mitigate exposure risks at an acceptable level while providing a fun and competitive environment for our ELEV8 community.
ELEV8 COVID-19 Screening Requirements The ELEV8 organization cares about the wellbeing of our coaches and players. We realize that players and personnel (Coaches, Referees, Game Day Coordinators, and other volunteers) may either be exposed to or contract COVID-19 at some point during the season. We ask parents and personnel to immediately contact the player's coach and/or ELEV8 Leadership in either case. In the case of exposure only, we ask that the player obtain a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine for 5 days from the exposure and be symptom free before returning on the 6th day to any team interaction. In the case of a positive COVID-19 test, we require (following current CDC guidelines) that the infected individual:
1. * follows a 5-day quarantine period from the time the player first displayed symptoms of COVID-19, and then
2. * wears a mask for 5 additional days.
ELEV8 COVID-19 Screening Questions ELEV8 players and household members, along with ELEV8 personnel (Coaches, Referees, Game Day Coordinators, and other volunteers) must truthfully answer the following questions (in the negative) prior to attending any future ELEV8 practices and games. These questions will be posted at the entrance of each practice and game facility.
1. * Have you experienced any flu-like symptoms (e.g. fever) in the past 5 days?
2. * Has anyone in your household experienced flu-like symptoms in the past 5 days?
If you truthfully answer ‘yes’ to either question above, you must not attend an ELEV8 activity until you are well and able to answer ‘no’. Please inform your coach immediately if this occurs.
For All ELEV8 Practices (starting Jan 3, 2022) Everyone entering an ELEV8 practice facility (Columbia Presbyterian Church, Crossroads Church of the Nazarene, or Bishop Cummins Reformed Episcopal Church) are required to wear a mask. Once ELEV8 players and coaches enter their basketball court for practice, they may remove their masks and store them in a safe place. Devotions shall be conducted wearing masks. If a player needs to leave the court (e.g. visit the restroom, water fountain, etc.), they must wear their mask. When practice is completed, players must wear their masks when departing the gym and follow social distancing signs until they are outdoors.
For All ELEV8 Games (starting Jan 7, 2022) Everyone entering an ELEV8 game facility (Columbia Presbyterian Church, Crossroads Church of the Nazarene) is required to wear a mask. Only when an ELEV8 player/referee enters their basketball court for the game can they remove their mask and store them in a safe place. Coaches are allowed to temporarily remove their masks to issue instructions. Once a player/referee leaves the court, they must put their mask back on. When game is completed, all players/coaches/referees must wear their masks when departing the gym until they are outdoors.
At both game facilities, we will increase the time between games and direct gym entry/exit flow to maximize social distancing. We require all players/spectators to leave the game facilities after the game they’ve played and chosen to watch. We will sanitize equipment between games to reduce the chance of transmitted germs between players.
This will eliminate post-game activities (e.g. game reviews, snack time, etc.) inside the game facilities, but we believe this is a necessary risk mitigation. If weather permits, teams can briefly pass our team bands (levels 1-3) outside prior to departure. Otherwise, team band presentations can occur at the beginning of the next practice.
Our ELEV8 Leadership Team response to the COVID-19 pandemic and county mask mandate remains fluid. Future policy changes may be needed to reflect changing conditions and local/church regulations. Thank you very much for your cooperation, patience, and understanding as we embark on our 2022 season!
