[ad_1]
By:
Wednesday, September 2, 2020 | 2:12 PM
Gov. Tom Wolf lifted his ban on spectators at interscholastic sports events but tight limits on gathering sizes remain.
Indoor events remain limited to 25 individuals and outdoor events are allowed no more than 250. Facilities may not exceed 50% of capacity. The Wolf administration updated its online guidance for sports Wednesday.
The new guidance for interscholastic sports says: “All individuals present at the facility at which such activities are held count towards gathering limitations and must comply with face covering order and social distancing guidelines.”
The guidelines do not exclude anyone.
The previous guidance said: “Sports-related activities at the PK-12 level are limited to student athletes, coaches, officials and staff only. Band and cheer are also allowed in a sports setting, but individuals involved in such activities count towards gathering limitations and must comply with face covering order and social distancing guidelines. Visitors and spectators are prohibited from attending in-person sports-related activities.”
“The sports guidance was updated to clarify that spectators may attend events as set forth in the governor and secretary of health’s orders on indoor and outdoor gatherings,” Wolf spokesperson Lyndsay Kensinger said.
The new guidance will benefit some fall sports more than others. Soccer, cross country, field hockey, golf and girls tennis could have room for spectators under the 250-person limit. Football will still present a challenge, especially for larger schools with bigger rosters and bands.
Volleyball, hockey and water polo remain tightly restricted under indoor limits.
The WPIAL notified member schools about the governor’s change.
Individual school districts will decide how those 250 persons are allocated, WPIAL executive director Amy Scheuneman said.
“Some schools may have smaller band contingents and allow more parents. Some may have bigger bands,” she said. “It could go in any number of directions. What it will help is those other sports (besides football), that now potentially can have parents.”
The Allegheny County Health Department last month released a joint statement with the WPIAL that said spectators were prohibited in Allegheny County. The WPIAL now wants that restriction lifted.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and health department director Dr. Debra Bogen, at a joint press conference Wednesday, were asked about the governor’s decision.
“We’re going to be reviewing that,” Fitzgerald said. “Regardless of where it goes locally, we still want to make sure people follow the guidance. This isn’t just open up the stands and everybody come rushing back in. All the distancing, the masks, all those things. We want to keep these activities going. We want to keep these activities safe.”
Bogen noted that each school district established a covid-19 health and safety plan, and “school districts need to follow their guidance from the state.”
The governor’s change comes on the same day that the state House was expected to vote on a bill by state Rep. Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland, that gives individual school districts the authority to make decisions regarding sports.
Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Chris by email at charlan@triblive.com or via Twitter .
[ad_2]
Source link