Surrey Minor Hockey Association

COVID-19 Safety Plan

The virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread through close or prolonged person to person contact, and through contact with contaminated surfaces. Surrey Minor Hockey is committed to creating a healthy and safe sporting environment for our players, members, service providers, volunteers and guests. The following steps have been taken to assess and limit the risk of virus transmission:

Risk Assessment

We have involved City of Surrey facility representatives. We have aligned our safety plan with Public Health Authorities (via Sport), the expectations of the City of Surrey, the seasonal development plan and processes of respective hockey governing agencies (Hockey Canada, BC Hockey and Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association) in assessing areas of risk in the operations of our hockey association. We have collaborated to create policies and procedures to mitigate risk and ensure a safe and healthy sporting environment.

  • The City of Surrey will be diligent to keep all arena surfaces and spaces clean.
  • The Surrey Minor Hockey Association will assist to limit the number of entrants into the arena
  • The Surrey Minor Hockey Association will develop on and off ice programming that best represents the needs of our members while being mindful of priorities of the Public Health Authorities.
  • As a permit holder/renter/lease Surrey Minor Hockey Association will take steps to ensure that participants (our members) act in accordance with the Surrey COVID-19 policies and procedures and our Association’s Safety Plan
    • In the event of a conflict between the Surrey COVID-19 Safety Plan and Surrey’s COVID-19 policies and procedures and Surrey Minor Hockey Association’s COVID-19 Safety Plan, the most stringent requirement shall apply.

Protocols for Risk Reduction

  • The City of Surrey has permitted user groups access to facilities, parks and programs but only on the basis that COVID-19 precautions will be adhered to by any and all user groups and individual participants
  • Surrey Minor Hockey Association will follow the respective Return-To-Sport and Return-To-Play guidelines and expectations
  • It is vital that:
    • no person who feels sick in any way visits any of Surrey’s facilities or parks and/or utilizes any of Surrey’s services or programs;
    • no person brings a child who feels unwell or is showing any symptoms of illness to any of Surrey’s facilities or parks or utilize any of Surrey’s services or programs;
    • any person who believes that they or their child may have become ill within 14 days of visiting or utilizing one of Surrey’s facilities, parks or programs 1) seeks appropriate medical attention by calling 8-1-1 and 12) reports this immediately to the City of Surrey by contacting Surrey’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Department at 604.501.5050

NOTE:

1) Surrey Minor Hockey Association, when applicable, will provide the City of Surrey representatives with personal contact information who may, in turn, share personal information for the purposes of contact tracing if the need arises.

        2) To attend any Surrey facilities or parks or utilize any of Surrey’s services or programs, all persons taking part in Surrey facilities must consent to the same. Any member of Surrey Minor Hockey Association member (player, coach, volunteer) or service provider is automatically expected to adhere to this consent – anyone who does not will not be permitted to use any of Surrey’s facilities

Surrey Minor Hockey Association Guidelines: 

General Information 

  • All ice bookings will be one (1) hour in length with a thirty (30) minute period between each booking for an ice clean and additional cleaning for the arena boards and dressing rooms. Start times for multi-sheet facilities will be staggered to eliminate contact with other user groups.
  • Our user groups will be escorted into the facility and assigned dressing rooms ten (10) minutes prior to the start of their booking by a facility host.
  • Each group will be assigned two (2) dressing rooms per booking. The maximum occupancy for each dressing room will be ten (10) participants. A maximum number of twenty (20) skaters, including coaches, will allowed on the ice per booking.
  • One additional adult will be allowed into the facility as the designated health & safety person for the team.
  • No spectators or parents will be allowed into the facility. Coaches, and designated safety person only
  • On ice participation should (will) be skill development only; no game play or formal competition will be allowed during this time (until further notice)
  • After the ice booking, our group will have ten (10) minutes after the end of their booking to remove skates and helmets and exit the dressing rooms and facility
  • Washrooms and showers will not be available in dressing rooms
  • Lobby washrooms will be available for use by all user groups. The maximum capacity for each washroom is two (2) people and will be posted on the door.
  • There will be designated entrances and exits and a one-way traffic flow, marked by decals on the floor, to direct participants throughout the facility and promote physical distancing
  • All of our user group members must always practice physical distancing when in the facility. This includes walking in hallways, in dressing rooms, on benches, and on the ice.

Prior to Arriving at the Arena 

  • Our participants must enter the facility dressed in their hockey gear; skates and helmets can be put on in dressing rooms at the arena. Only goaltenders will be allowed to bring their equipment bags into the facility. Skaters are asked to transport their skates/gloves in a small bag (backpack, etc.)
  • If our participants require assistance with skate tying, we will suggest they are tied at home or in the car and skate guards are used to get into the facility and onto the ice
  • Our participants must bring a full water bottle as there will be no access to water fountains at the facility
  • Our participants will be informed to bring minimal or no personal belonging as dressing rooms will be propped open during the ice booking
  • Any warm-ups must be done outside of the facility prior to entering for our group’s booking

Arriving at the Arena

  • Our participants will line up in a designated staging area using physical distancing signage and markings on the ground
  • The coaches and/or our designated health and safety person must organize the group outside and ensure all skaters have completed the patron screening for their group.
  • The group will be let into the facility ten (10) minutes prior to the start of their booking. All participants must be on time, no late comers will be given access to  the building.

Entering the Facility 

  • City of Surrey facility host will greet our group outside the building. They will go over the expectations of our group and remind us if we are feeling unwell, not to enter the facility. (See COVID--19 symptoms in safety plan)
  • Hand sanitizer stations will be located at the entrance of the facility. Our users will be asked to use the sanitizer prior to entering.
  • The host will walk our group to their assigned dressing room(s)
  • Our group will sit in the designated areas labelled in the dressing room(s) to ensure all participants are two (2) meters apart
  • Showers and washrooms in the dressing rooms will not be available for use
  • Dressing rooms will remain open during the booking to reduce touch points
  • Chairs will be placed outside the dressing rooms for coaches to sit on while they put on skates

On the Ice 

  • Water bottles and skate guards will have assigned spots to be placed along the boards
  • The players benches will not be available for use
  • Spitting will NOT be tolerated. Anyone seen spitting on the ice or anywhere in the facility will be asked to leave the building.
  • Cones and equipment must be brought by the coach. The arena will have no shared equipment available for use.
  • Surrey Minor will be responsible for all first aid and medical incidents for our own group.
  • If music is required, Surrey Minor must designate one person to control the music during that booking

Exiting the Facility 

  • At the end of our group’s ice time, they will have ten (10) minutes for the group to exit the facility together. The facility host will escort our group to the exit doors.
  • Our group will wait in the dressing room on our designated spot till the host is ready to escort the whole group.

COVID-19 Test Positive Procedure 

  • If a participant develops symptoms at the facility, an isolation room will be provided to separate the participant from the rest of the group
  • If a participant tests positive for COVID-19 Surrey Minor must notify the facility manager immediately

Cleaning 

  • There will be 30 minutes between each group to facilitate cleaning of the boards, nets, and dressing rooms.
  • High traffic areas and touch points will also be cleaned to include doorknobs, washrooms, doors, gates.
  • Any equipment that belongs to Surrey Minor and is used will be cleaned by Surrey Minor group.

SMHA as Event Organizer

  • Participant list provided to facility representatives
    • Names + contact information for each cohort event
  • As a local sport organization, SMHA will be flexible to respond to changes in the community and work with our local Arena facility(s) representatives as local Safety Plans and Return-To-Sports plans are updated