Hockey Sessions Outside of SDMHA

Hello all,

 

Please be advised that at the last VIAHA meeting, we were advised participation in hockey/skating related activities outside of our Association must follow strict COVID protocols or a 2 week isolation period will be required. 

 

Please see the memo below from VIAHA and if you require further clarification, please reach out to an Executive Member.

 

In our video conference Tuesday evening Jim asked me to prepare a memo on what restrictions
would apply to hockey camps operating under the restrictions put in place in the Public Health Order and by viaSport. BC Hockey was consulted to ensure the information was accurate.
The definition of what constitutes “hockey activity” would be any on ice activity in which the player is wearing essential hockey equipment. Power skating or skill development sessions where a player is in full gear would be considered a hockey activity regardless of whether the session is run by a private organization or an MHA.

A hockey camp, development session or tryout which is operated in an MHA arena, attended only by players who are registered with that MHA and facilitated by volunteers or staff from that MHA is permissible if it is run under phase 2 restrictions This means there are no contact drills and participants can exercise physical distancing of three (3) meters. Players or instructors from outside the MHA should not attend. Players are permitted to practice or attend camps outside of their own team or cohort during phase 2 but must remain within their own MHA programming.

Players who participate in private/non-sanctioned programs may be asked to isolate from their MHA team for 14 days following this participation unless it can be shown that the programs strictly adhered to phase 2 activities and all staff and all participants were from within their MHA boundaries.

In response to a query from a member MHA if it was permitted to use “contract specialized coaches” who reside outside of their immediate area Sean Raphael advised “the Provincial guidelines outline that only those within a community (member clubs/associations) should participate in phase 2 activity at this time. This comes more from the general Public Health Order (PHO) requesting no non-essential travel, rather than a sport specific guideline. However, the PHO is intended to always supersede any sector specific guidelines, so our members should continue to comply by only having those within their association participation at this time”.

 

Thank you all again for working together during this unprecedented season.