If you think wearing a mask to the supermarket is an attack on your constitutional freedoms or having your child wear one throughout a school day is barbaric, you’re really not going to like the COVID-19 guidelines for Rhode Island Interscholastic League sports.

Like all rules in a COVID world, the good comes with some bad. The good news is sports — minus football and girls volleyball — are being played this fall and, as the RIIL has stated, there won’t be changes that dynamically affect how the sports are played.

The bad news — or good news, if you’re actively trying not to contribute to the pandemic — is that there are going to be masks. Not just at benches, either.

Players, coaches, officials, spectators and whoever else is on or around an athletic field this fall will be required to wear a facial covering, according to the RIIL’s “Return To Education-based Athletic Competition” modifications and considerations for each individual sport.

“Responsible parties must ensure a distance of at least six feet is maintained among individuals at all times, whether indoor or outdoor, unless safety or the core activity [e.g. practicing, playing] requires a shorter distance,” the guideline states. “If a shorter distance is required, Athletes are required to wear cloth face coverings/masks per RIDOH guidelines.”

Required facial coverings is going to drum up the most discussion and likely cause the most confusion for those who pay attention to just headlines.

The guidelines — posted by the RIIL Monday night — come with a simple provision: “When spacing between players is greater than 10 feet, athletes may momentarily take brief face covering relief.”

For singles players in girls tennis, they are likely to be able to walk to their respective court, take the mask off and play, then put it back on when they’re done.

Cross-country runners will have to wear them at the start line, but if they have proper spacing once on course, they will be able to temporarily remove them as long as they keep the 10 feet of space.

Goalies in soccer and field hockey also will have plenty of relief when they’re not in action. Midfielders in either sport won’t.

There are other rules restrictions across all sports, most involving how pre- and post-game situations are handled. There won’t be any high-fives or chest bumps this season, there should be plenty of social distancing and, in what may be more challenging for some and not so much for others, a whole lot of using your own common sense in a COVID-19 world.

All sports have disinfecting rules in place and most recommendations involve the obvious — don’t touch anything with your hands. Use feet, sticks, whatever — just not hands.

The sport with the biggest concern over possible rules adjustments was soccer. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association applied guidelines that turned soccer into something that’s going to look more like a U6 soccer game than a high school sport.

As far as Rhode Island is concerned, the only real major change is the suspension of the dropped ball. In its place, officials will award an indirect kick to the team they deem to be in possession when play was stopped.

The only other major — and that word is used loosely here — change is a mandatory two-minute hydration mask break on the first dead-ball situation after the 20-minute mark.

Field hockey is another sport that could have had its rules drastically altered, but what the RIIL listed doesn’t read like anything much will be changed. There won’t be stick inspections by officials, which puts everyone on the honor system.

Cross country is undergoing the biggest change, or at least the biggest recommended changes. Staggered, wave or integral starts should be “considered” for meets and at meets with four or fewer teams, schools are encouraged to limit roster size to 12 participants.

The use of team tents is also discouraged; that comes into play at the bigger meets when they are used to bring relief from the elements.

Tennis is the least affected of the fall sports. It’s recommended that players serve only their own can of balls throughout a match.

Finally, there are guidelines for cheerleaders. Based on the recommendations, cheerleading is going to look a lot like it did 40 years ago and less like competition cheer that has become the norm. Stunts, lifts and pyramids are not allowed and teams should not share props like signs or pom-poms.

erueb@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @EricRueb