June 15, 2020 - COVID-19 Update

June 15, 2020 - Update

‍Relaunch of Sport and Physical Activity in Alberta!

RGA is happy to inform our members and member clubs that in light of the Provincial Government's decision to move the relaunch of sport and the re-opening of sport facilities into Phase 2 and the subsequent announcement that Alberta has officially moved into Phase 2 as of Friday, June 12, the RGA Board of Directors has approved the RGA Return to Play Strategy and RGA member clubs are now permitted to reopen, with restrictions.

In order to reopen, member clubs must complete the following steps:

1) Carefully review the following documents attached below this post:

1. RGA Return to Play Strategy
2. RGA INTERIM Return to Play Strategy - Outdoor
3. RGA Club Safety Plan 
4. RGA RG Carpet Sanitization Plan
5. Return to Play Recommendations for Coaches
6. Gym Can Return to Play Safe Sport Plan
   
7. Updated Waivers, Assumption of Risk and Facility Declaration Form
   

These documents should be read in conjunction with the following documents from the Provincial Health Authority:

Guidance for Organized Outdoor Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation

Guidance for Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation - Phase 2

2) Book a One-on One Call: Once you have received confirmation of a date in which you can re-enter your facility, all clubs that wish to reopen are required to attend a one-on-one call with the Executive Director so that any questions you may have about creating a Return to Play Plan for your club can be addressed and to clarify expectations of RGA and the Alberta Health Authority. 

•  At least one board member/owner and two coaches must be present on the call. All board members and club coaches are welcome to attend at the clubs discretion

3) Submit: Once all of your questions have been answered on the one-on-one call, clubs are required to submit the following two (2) documents to RGA for review:

1.  A copy of your club's Return to Play Plan. A completed and signed copy of the RGA Return to Play Strategy document will be accepted for this requirement. Any other plans must meet or exceed the requirements set out in the RGA Return to Play Strategy. 
   
2. Completed copy of the RGA Club Safety Plan document ‍‍

4) Approve: Due to the gravity of the matter at hand and the associated liability, it is highly recommended that your club's Board of Directors formally review and accept your club's Return to Play Plan via a motion.

5) Waivers, Communication & Tracking: Each club's responsibilities include but are not limited to (Please see the RGA Return to Play Strategy for more details):

1. Collecting and retaining signed copies of the new Waivers, Assumption of Risk Documents and Facility Declarations from all participants before resuming programming 
2. Communicating to parents and participants the necessary protocols and risks associated with entering your facilities and participating in your programming
3. Maintaining class attendance lists and keeping this information for 2 weeks in case it needs to be provided to the Health Authority for tracking purposes. We can help you to determine the best way of managing this during the one-on-one calls. 

** Note: If your club is not yet able to resume indoor programming but wishes to run OUTDOOR programming only or in conjunction with online programming for the summer months, all of the above steps will still be required,  however we will provide you with a different template for your Interim Return to Play Plan. Please send me an email indicating that you would like to offer outdoor programming and I will be in touch with the information. 

We caution all clubs to embark upon reopening only when you are certain that you can meet or exceed the requirements as stated in RGA Return to Play Strategy and all Alberta Health Authority requirements.

On behalf of the RGA Board of Directors and all of the RGA Staff, we want you to know that we are here to support each of you in your return to the gym and we're very much looking forward to connecting with all of you soon!

Jennifer Rochford

Executive Director, RGA