The City of New Haven Releases Guidance on Low to High-Risk Sports
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Given the growing concern from the community surrounding sports activities, the City of New Haven today released guidance for low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk sports amid the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis. This information will be posted on the City’s COVID-19 hub.
“We know that sports are a vital part of our community and deeply important to many residents. We must be guided by science and the public health parameters set by the State of Connecticut and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I want to thank our team for putting this together with the health and well being of our residents in mind,” said New Haven Director of Public Health Maritza Bond.
“This decision is difficult and not taken lightly. We know that this has been a frustrating and challenging time for many members of our community,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. “However, it is the right decision to follow State Department of Health guidance regarding sports to ensure that we reduce the spread of COVID-19 and more quickly return to normality and regular sports seasons,” he concluded.
Below are the City of New Haven’s classification of each sport in accordance with state and federal guidance, and a final determination by the New Haven Public Health Department. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance from the State Department of Public Health (DPH), high-risk sports will not be allowed during the fall 2020 season. In addition, moderate risk sports will be allowable only within compliance with State DPH guidelines using mitigation strategies as outlined by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which can be found here.
ALLOWED |
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Low Risk |
Defined by the NFHS as sports that can be done with social distancing or individually with no sharing of equipment or the ability to clean the equipment between use by competitors. Given the low risk, these sports are currently allowed. |
Cross Country |
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Fencing |
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Sideline Cheer |
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Track |
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Swimming |
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Ice Skating |
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ALLOWED WHEN IN COMPLIANCE |
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Moderate Risk |
Defined by the NFHS as sports that involve close, sustained contact, but with protective equipment in place that may reduce the likelihood of respiratory particle transmission between participants OR intermittent close contact OR group sports OR sports that use equipment that can’t be cleaned between participants. Given the moderate risk, these sports are only allowed when played outdoors (in the case of soccer and volleyball) and with appropriate cleaning of equipment and use of masks by participants. |
Soccer – outdoor only |
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Volleyball- outdoor only |
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Gymnastics |
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Kickball |
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Softball |
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Baseball |
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Track - Field Sports |
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Tennis |
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Field Hockey |
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NOT ALLOWED |
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High Risk |
Defined by the NFHS as sports that involve close, sustained contact between participants, lack of significant protective barriers, and high probability that respiratory particles will be transmitted between participants. Unfortunately, given the significant risks involved, these sports are currently not allowed to be played. |
Indoor Soccer |
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Volleyball - Indoor |
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Football |
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Rugby |
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Basketball |
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Cheer |
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Wrestling |
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Boxing |
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Lacrosse |
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Ice Hockey |
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Martial Arts |
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In accordance with DPH guidance, pre-season conditioning is a critical safety component for high school athletes and, therefore, will be allowed under the following conditions:
- The activities are limited to those directed at improving athletes’ aerobic conditioning, as well as sports-specific contact drills
- Athlete cohort size should be limited to 10 individuals
- Cohorting of athletes during conditioning and practices should continue through the entire season, when practicable
- To the extent possible, all conditioning and practice activities through the entire season should take place outdoors in areas with sufficient space to allow for appropriate distancing. If indoor gym spaces or weight rooms must be used, they should be limited to use by a single cohort at one time and only used in compliance with the DECD sector rules for commercial gyms (i.e., use of masks, adequate spacing of machines, capacity limits, etc.). Schools that do not have appropriate space or other resources to comply with commercial gym sector rules should limit conditioning and practice activities to outdoor only.
- Sufficient staffing should be available to directly supervise the activities of each cohort of athletes separated at all times
- Face coverings, social distancing, and all other mitigation strategies outlined in the CIAC Resocialization of Interscholastic Athletics & Activities Guidance should continue to be strictly enforced, trained, and reinforced.”
*All of this information is subject to change based on updated guidance from the Department of Public Health and as we continue to closely monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit the New Haven COVID-19 website.
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