Return to play update June 14

The BCDS leadership team is grateful for everyone’s continued patience. As outlined in B.C.’s Restart Plan, sport activities organized and operated by Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) can resume in a limited way. We remain in Phase 2, which specifies we are to continue to patiently focus on casual, unorganized play and training. This won’t be forever.

Two very positive developments have come about recently: 1. Return to Sport Guidelines were released by viaSport, so we have a structure to build our plan on, and 2, this past week the Province announced a Ministerial Order extending liability protection to not-for-profit amateur sport organizations for damages resulting from exposure to COVID-19. This liability protection applies as long as sport organizations are complying with orders from the provincial health officer and following viaSport’s Return to Sport Guidelines.

The BCDS is in the process of developing our guidelines and will be discussing our plans with the goal of ratifying them at the next BCDS meeting June 29.

We’re all looking forward to Phase 3 of BC’s Restart Plan, which will allow local league play following the guidelines we’re creating with these three primary focuses: 1. Safety of organizers 2. Safety of players and 3. Safety of our communities.

Requirements for running club events will include things like:

• Staying home if you're feeling unwell
• Practicing good hand hygiene
• Observing small group sizes and social distancing
• Avoiding contact with other people’s equipment
• Use of our own equipment only – no sharing
• Online/virtual registration and organization
• No gathering in big groups
• No lingering before or after
• Keeping accurate lists of participants and their contact information in the case of an outbreak
• Participation of club members only from your own community; avoiding travel to other jurisdictions
• no spectators
• no caddies
• Cleaning and disinfection of common high touch points 

Once in Phase 4, we expect to be allowed to return to regional play using BCDS-developed rules for tournament directors and competitors.

Please get in touch with any BCDS board member with your questions, and watch for an email from us in the coming weeks with more information and specific requirements for how to safely run club events once Phase 3 is announced. We’ll be sure to continue to keep you informed via the BCDS Facebook group discussion page and here at BCDiscsports.com. Thanks, everyone!