Guidance released to resume sports in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf issued preliminary guidance Wednesday for high school and recreational sports teams to restart voluntary workouts and other in-person activities in the state's yellow and green phases. The guidance includes college and professional sports.
Public and private K-12 schools -- under the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association in the yellow and green phase -- can resume voluntary sports-related workouts. Mercer and Lawrence Counties have both moved into the green phase.
Schools must first develop an athletic health and safety plan that is approved by the local board of directors and posted on the school's website.
Recreational and amateur sports teams in the green phase that are not affiliated with a K-12 school can hold in-person activities, including games and practices. Examples include basketball, hockey, field hockey, football, soccer, swimming, baseball, softball, lacrosse, gymnastics and kickball. Youth sports organizations should follow CDC guidelines.
Gatherings of all participants -- including players, athletic staff, officials and spectators -- are limited to 25 in the yellow phase and 250, or 50 percent capacity, in the green phase.
League and team staff must review CDC guidance for youth sports. Coaches and other officials should wear face coverings and screen athletes for symptoms before practices and games. All participants must follow safe hygiene and social distancing practices, avoid unnecessary physical contact, and clean and disinfect equipment and facilities. Teams are encouraged to stagger drop-off and pick-up times at outdoor locations and designate entrances and exits to facilities.
Parents and other spectators should practice social distancing, wear face coverings and not enter the field or bench areas. Parents should monitor children for COVID-19 symptoms and evaluate children at higher risk for severe illnesses.
College sports sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association -- including intramural and club sports -- can resume in-person activity after developing an athletic health and safety plan.
Professional sports can resume immediately. Teams or leagues in the yellow phase -- or if more than 250 people are on site in the green phase -- must have a COVID-19 safety plan approved by the department of health.
More information on Wednesday's announcement can be read here.