The New Prague Girls Fastpitch Association is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all our board members, coaches, volunteers, and athletes. To ensure we have as safe and healthy environment, we have developed the following COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Board members, coaches and volunteers are all responsible for implementing this plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our workplaces and communities, and that requires full cooperation among our board members, coaches, volunteers, and athletes.  Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health within our softball environment.

Board members, coaches and volunteers are responsible for implementing and complying with all aspects of this COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. NPGFA coaches and volunteers have our full support in enforcing the provisions of this policy.

Our coaches are our most important assets. We are serious about safety and health and keeping our training running. Board involvement is essential in developing and implementing a successful COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. We have involved our board members in this process by maintaining constant communication and inviting their input for the policies and procedures we have adopted in accordance to CDC and MDH regulations. We encourage open communication with all our members in an effort to ensure a safe and healthy environment. Our COVID-19 Preparedness Plan follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidelines, federal OSHA standards related to COVID-19 and Executive Order 20-48, and addresses:

• hygiene and respiratory etiquette
• engineering and administrative controls for social distancing
• cleaning, disinfecting, decontamination, and ventilation
• prompt identification and isolation of sick persons
• communications and training that will be provided to managers and workers
• management and supervision necessary to ensure effective implementation of the plan
• protection and controls for pick-up and drop-off
• communications and instructions for customers

Coaches have been informed of and encouraged to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. The following policies and procedures are being implemented to assess workers’ health status prior to entering the workplace and for workers to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms.

• If displaying and/or reporting any of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell, the coach will be sent home.
• Coaches are to contact the SBDC chair by phone if they are experiencing any symptoms or elevated temperature while at home. They will be asked to not come to training until they are symptom free for three days. 
• If coaches are experiencing symptoms at training; immediately notify SBDC chair, gather all personal belongings, and avoid contact with all other individuals in the process. The coach is also required, to their best recollection, notify SBDC chair of what areas they have personally come into contact with so it can be disinfected appropriately. 

NPGFA has implemented leave policies that promote coaches staying at home when they are sick, when household members are sick, or when required by a health care provider to isolate or quarantine themselves or a member of their household.

• If an individual is sick or has a household member who is sick, they will be responsible for notifying the SBDC chair of their absence.
• We will follow the protocol for quarantine provided by the CDC and Minnesota Department of Health.

Basic infection prevention measures are being implemented at our practices at all times. Coaches are instructed to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water prior to practice, and to sanitize at the end of their shift, prior to any food consumption and after using the toilet. All volunteers and athletes will be required to sanitize their hands prior to or immediately upon entering the fields. Hand-sanitizer dispensers (that use sanitizers of greater than 60% alcohol) are at each field location so they can be used for hand hygiene in place of soap and water, as long as hands are not visibly soiled.

• Coaches will wash/sanitize hands prior to arriving at the fields and at regular intervals.
• Hand Sanitizer provided at each field will be accessible and monitored for refill.
• Everyone will be required to sanitize/wash hands upon entering the field. 

Board members, coaches, volunteers, and athletes are being instructed to cover their mouth and nose with their sleeve or a tissue when coughing or sneezing and to avoid touching their face, in particular their mouth, nose and eyes, with their hands. They should dispose of tissues in provided trash receptacles and wash or sanitize their hands immediately afterward. Respiratory etiquette will be demonstrated on posters and supported by making tissues and trash receptacles available to all workers, customers and visitors. 

Social distancing of six feet will be implemented and maintained between board members, coaches, volunteers, and athletes through the following engineering and administrative controls:

• Athletes will be in pods of 5-7 athletes to ensure limited exposure to others. Coaches will only be in contact with their specified pod. 
• Drop Off/Pick Up is encouraged; No more than 1 adult per athlete at the field. Masks are always encouraged to be worn by the adults. Occupancy will be limited and monitored to comply with MDH guidelines. Parents that feel the need to stay and view will be asked to stay in their car or watch from the outfield. While coaching, employee will be required to stay within specific areas to maintain physical distancing with all other athletes and coaches. 
• Athletes will be dropped off and attendance immediately taken.
• Field occupancy will remain at 25 people or less.
• All surfaces or shared spaces will be disinfected between uses. Each coach is responsible for disinfecting the equipment before and after use. All coaches are expected to not share PPE and other work items unless necessary. 
• Carpooling is prohibited amongst those not residing in the same household. 
• Coaches, members, and visitors are encouraged to bring their questions and concerns to the NPGFA Board. We strongly encourage the use of electronic methods of communication.  
• All coaches will be provided with hand sanitizer and disinfectant. 

Regular disinfectant practices are being implemented, including routine cleaning and disinfecting of equipment: including bats, balls, rakes, catching equipment, pitching machines, etc. Frequent cleaning and disinfecting will be conducted in high-touch areas. 

• Coaches will be cleaning at the completion of each practice/game. CDC recommended products will be used to disinfect surfaces. 

If a coach or participant in any training activity learns that he/she has tested positive for COVID-19, the participant or, if a child, the participant’s parent, should notify their coach or Board President as soon as possible.   

Board President Will Contact the Participant/Parent:

Obtain detailed information by asking the participant/parent the following questions: 

• What date did the symptoms begin?
• Did you/the participant attend any activities 14 days prior to symptoms beginning up through your last day at the field? If so, do you recall other participants/attendees at those activities?
• To the best of your recollection, what participants and coaches have you/the participant been in close contact (within 6 feet) with during the 14 days prior to your symptoms starting? Please provide specific names if possible. 
• To the best of your recollection, what areas of the field did you/the participant access within the 14-day window before symptoms appeared. NPGFA fields in the 14 days prior to your symptoms starting? If so, what areas were you in? Were you at any specific area? 
• What equipment do you use that is also used by others?

During the conversation, NPGFA Board President will also inform the participant/parent that:

Per current CDC guidelines, they must not participate in any activities at the gym until the following have occurred:

For participant who experienced symptoms and tested positive:

• It has been a minimum of 3 days (72 hours) since “recovery,” defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath): and at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. 

OR

• The participant has received a negative follow-up COVID-19 test (contingent on availability of tests).
• For participants who had no symptoms but tested positive:
  • It has been 10 days since their positive test and have had no subsequent symptoms.
• The participant must contact NPGFA Board President prior to their return to the gym. 
• NPGFA will notify potentially exposed participants (identified in questions b & c) immediately.  
• NPGFA Board will reassure the infected participant or his/her parent that every effort will be made to protect their identity. They will not be identified by name as part of the notification process. The message to the potentially exposed individuals will be that they may have come into contact with someone at the field who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Immediately close off areas identified where the parent/participant identified as having been present.  

See sections below for guidance on disinfection.

Communicate with Infected Participant’s Coach:

• What equipment did the infected participant use?  
• Has the coach had close contact with the athlete in the previous 14-day period?

Contact the Applicable State Department of Health

• While NPGFA may not be required to contact any agencies, it is recommended to contact the applicable state department of health for guidance on necessary steps based on the agency’s assessment of the situation. Prior to contacting this department, we must have the answers to questions a through f above. Any guidance given by the department should be taken in to account when implementing this policy.    
• If we cannot promptly reach someone immediately at the department of health, we may consider skipping this and moving forward with notifying identified participants, and we should begin deep disinfection of identified areas. 

Communication to Other New Prague Girls Fastpitch Association Coaches:

Send out a communication on behalf of the team to notify other non-affected employees.

Disinfection:

• Follow guidance provided by state department of health and CDC.
• Isolate potentially infected area where participant was regularly present until disinfection is completed. 
• Wait 24 hours before disinfecting if possible, to minimize exposure of disinfection crew to droplets.
• Disinfect affected area per CDC disinfecting guidelines.
  • Use a disinfectant solution with at least 70% alcohol
  • Check to ensure product is not past is expiration date
  • Cleaning staff required to wear PPE 
• Once disinfection is complete, the area can once again be used.

Appropriate and effective cleaning and disinfectant supplies have been purchased and are available for use in accordance with product labels, safety data sheets and manufacturer specifications and are being used with required personal protective equipment for the product. 

Recommended products that are effective against codid-19 such as (Lysol disinfectant spray, Clorox bleach, hand sanitizer, Cavi-cide, Uno, Bac-san, Clorox disinfectant wipes, etc.). These will be used in accordance to the recommended cleaning protocol from the CDC.   

This COVID-19 Preparedness Plan was communicated to all coaches and necessary training was provided. Additional communication and training will be ongoing and provided to all coaches who did not receive the initial training. Instructions will be communicated to visitors and NPGFA members about:  how drop-off and pick-up will be conducted to ensure social distancing between the coaches and athletes; required hygiene practices. Athletes and members will also be advised not to enter the fields if they are experiencing symptoms or have contracted COVID-19. NPGFA board members are to monitor how effective the program has been implemented. Board members and coaches are to work through this new program together and update the training as necessary. This COVID-19 Preparedness Plan has been certified by New Prague Girls Fastpitch Association and posted on the NPGFA website. It will be updated as necessary.

Certified by:

Jim Kaufman
NPGFA President