California Releases New Guidelines For Youth Recreational Sports
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — California released updated guidance Monday, laying out how youth and recreational sports can operate during the pandemic.
After four months of delays, new state guidance on youth sports squashes any hopes of having inter-team games, banning all competitions until at least January 25.
The state uses a color-coded tier system for each sport based on their level of contact and transmission risk. It allows for outdoor practice and training in all counties, even those under the stay-at-home order, as long as athletes can stay six feet apart. As of Monday, 54 out of 58 California counties are under the regional stay-at-home order.
For those counties not under the order, sports are allowed based on the tier the county is in.
Golf, cross country, track and field, and tennis are allowed in the most-restrictive purple tier while baseball, gymnastics, cheerleading, and lacrosse are allowed in the red tier.
Orange tier sports include football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and water polo. The least-restrictive yellow tier allows for wrestling and martial arts.
While local health officials and school districts have the ability to tighten restrictions if they want to, the new rules also prohibit teams from competing in out-of-state tournaments, as many club teams have done, during the pandemic.
READ ALSO: Local Schools Don't Require Quarantine After Youth Sports Travel, Despite CA Travel Advisory
This new guidance will be reviewed by the Department of Public Health on January 4 and could be changed based on the latest coronavirus cases and ICU capacities.
Below is a chart of sports allowed in each reopening tier:
