Santa Cruz County, CA –
The California Department of Public Health has issued new
guidance permitting certain organized youth and adult sports to resume, including school
and community-based sports, as well as private club and league sports.
The guidance allows sports competitions to resume based on a community’s level of
COVID-19 transmission and degree of participant interaction. It also places limits on interteam competitions to teams from the same county or eligible bordering counties, and limits
youth sports spectators to immediate household members. The County of Santa Cruz will
not implement additional requirements beyond those required by the state.
Local health departments must be notified of any inter-county competitions (and reserve the
right to deny the competition for health and safety reasons), and each team must be eligible
to participate based on their home county’s COVID-19 transmission rates, which are
categorized using California’s tier system under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
Furthermore, tournaments and other events involving more than two teams are permitted
only with the authorization of the local health department in each team’s home county.
Outdoor sports permitted under the Widespread (Purple) Tier include track and field,
swimming, golf, cross county and other running competitions, disc golf, archery, bicycling,
solo-rider equestrian events, and other sports not requiring close contact with another
person.
Should the county progress to the Substantial (Red) Tier, outdoor sports such as baseball,
softball, volleyball, field hockey, girls’ lacrosse, gymnastics and others with limited close
contact with another person would be allowed.
guidance permitting certain organized youth and adult sports to resume, including school
and community-based sports, as well as private club and league sports.
The guidance allows sports competitions to resume based on a community’s level of
COVID-19 transmission and degree of participant interaction. It also places limits on interteam competitions to teams from the same county or eligible bordering counties, and limits
youth sports spectators to immediate household members. The County of Santa Cruz will
not implement additional requirements beyond those required by the state.
Local health departments must be notified of any inter-county competitions (and reserve the
right to deny the competition for health and safety reasons), and each team must be eligible
to participate based on their home county’s COVID-19 transmission rates, which are
categorized using California’s tier system under the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
Furthermore, tournaments and other events involving more than two teams are permitted
only with the authorization of the local health department in each team’s home county.
Outdoor sports permitted under the Widespread (Purple) Tier include track and field,
swimming, golf, cross county and other running competitions, disc golf, archery, bicycling,
solo-rider equestrian events, and other sports not requiring close contact with another
person.
Should the county progress to the Substantial (Red) Tier, outdoor sports such as baseball,
softball, volleyball, field hockey, girls’ lacrosse, gymnastics and others with limited close
contact with another person would be allowed.
Unless they qualify for an exception (see below), competitions between teams for highcontact outdoor sports such as basketball, football, soccer, water polo, boys’ lacrosse, and
others would not be permitted until the county is in the Moderate (Orange) Tier. At this tier,
limited indoor sports would also be allowed.
For a full list of permitted sports by tier, see
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/outdoor-indoorrecreational-sports.aspx.
For youth sports, parents/guardians must be informed about the transmission risks
associated with sports activities, and are required to sign an informed consent indicating
their understanding and acknowledgment of the risks. Weekly antigen or PCR testing of all
participants and coaches is strongly encouraged.
Outdoor high-contact sports may be played in Purple Tier or Red Tier counties if participants
or parents/guardians signed informed consent waivers, and testing is performed with test
results available within 24 hours of competition. Testing requirements apply only to football,
rugby and water polo, and do not apply if at least the half the team is age 12 or under
(coaches must still be tested).
Outdoor moderate-contact sports may be played in the Purple Tier if the county’s adjusted
case rate is below 14 percent and participants or parents/guardians signed informed consent
waivers.
For outdoor and indoor sports, face coverings must be worn by athletes not actively
participating in the activity as well as all coaches, support staff and eligible spectators,
observers must maintain six feet of social distancing, sharing of water bottles and other
personal items are not permitted, and related indoor activates such as conditioning should
be limited and comply with capacity limits.
Out-of-state competitions are not allowed.
Professional sports, collegiate sports and community events such as marathons and
endurance races are NOT included in this guidance. For more on those sports, see
https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance.
For questions and to obtain authorization for tournaments, please contact
SportsLiaison@santacruzcounty.us.
others would not be permitted until the county is in the Moderate (Orange) Tier. At this tier,
limited indoor sports would also be allowed.
For a full list of permitted sports by tier, see
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/outdoor-indoorrecreational-sports.aspx.
For youth sports, parents/guardians must be informed about the transmission risks
associated with sports activities, and are required to sign an informed consent indicating
their understanding and acknowledgment of the risks. Weekly antigen or PCR testing of all
participants and coaches is strongly encouraged.
Outdoor high-contact sports may be played in Purple Tier or Red Tier counties if participants
or parents/guardians signed informed consent waivers, and testing is performed with test
results available within 24 hours of competition. Testing requirements apply only to football,
rugby and water polo, and do not apply if at least the half the team is age 12 or under
(coaches must still be tested).
Outdoor moderate-contact sports may be played in the Purple Tier if the county’s adjusted
case rate is below 14 percent and participants or parents/guardians signed informed consent
waivers.
For outdoor and indoor sports, face coverings must be worn by athletes not actively
participating in the activity as well as all coaches, support staff and eligible spectators,
observers must maintain six feet of social distancing, sharing of water bottles and other
personal items are not permitted, and related indoor activates such as conditioning should
be limited and comply with capacity limits.
Out-of-state competitions are not allowed.
Professional sports, collegiate sports and community events such as marathons and
endurance races are NOT included in this guidance. For more on those sports, see
https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance.
For questions and to obtain authorization for tournaments, please contact
SportsLiaison@santacruzcounty.us.