Policies and Procedures 2020-21

Introduction

Last updated February 11, 2021 The Atlantic East Conference looks to pursue practice and/or competition opportunities for all student-athletes during the spring semester of 2021. Each athletic department continues to work closely with key University stakeholders. The health and welfare of our student-athletes, athletic departments and campus communities continue to be the priority.

This document contains an outline for what will and will not be allowed within the Atlantic East Conference during the spring semester. All plans in this document are subject to change based on new and emerging information.

Health and Safety Protocols Under expert guidance and oversight from Team Physicians, sports medicine staff and Student Health Services providers, the Atlantic East has developed health and safety protocols based around 3 guiding principles: testing, risk minimization, and positive test response standards. In collaboration with sports medicine personnel, athletic administrators and coaches, additional risk minimization strategies have been developed for all spring sports and officials.

1. Testing A. Strategies Testing strategies are designed to be directed toward student-athletes and athletics personnel who have regular, close contact with student-athletes. This group of individuals is considered Tier 1, which is the highest exposure tier. Following is a summary explanation of Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 risk categories, which is based on information in a recently published scientific article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Tier 1: This is the highest exposure tier and consists of individuals for whom physical distancing and face coverings are not possible or effective during athletic training or competition. Examples of relevant individuals include student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers and physical therapists, medical staff, equipment staff and officials.

Tier 2: This is a moderate exposure tier and consists of individuals who come into close contact with Tier 1 individuals but can reasonably maintain physical distance and use face coverings. Examples of relevant individuals include certain team staff (e.g., executives) and certain operational staff (e.g., security, event staff and league staff).

Tier 3: This is the lowest exposure tier and includes individuals who provide event services but do not come into close contact with Tier 1 individuals (and should this occur, would be reclassified into Tier 2). Examples of relevant individuals include certain operational staff (e.g., housekeeping, catering, sanitation and transportation) and media/broadcast.

Page 2 of 11 Last updated February 11, 2021 B. Symptomatic/ Close Contact All symptomatic student-athletes and athletics staff members should following their institutional reporting procedures for COVID related symptoms or close contact to someone who has tested positive.

C. High Risk Sports Indoor (Basketball, -not masked) At a minimum each Atlantic East Institutions shall adhere to NCAA Sports Science Institute (SSI) testing recommendations for high-risk sports for both preseason practice and for the competitive season.

D. Intermediate Risk Sports (Volleyball-masked, Soccer, Baseball, Lacrosse, Softball, ) At a minimum each Atlantic East Institutions shall adhere to NCAA Sports Science Institute (SSI) testing recommendations for intermediate risk sports.

E. Low Risk Sports (, Cross Country, Outdoor Track, , Golf) At a minimum each Atlantic East Institutions shall adhere to NCAA Sports Science Institute (SSI) testing recommendations for low-risk sports.

F. Previous COVID-19 Infection Atlantic East Conference member institutions will not be required to retest individuals who tested positive within the past 90 days because after completing an appropriate isolation period, a test might still produce a positive result but the individual is no longer infectious to others. Additionally, the risk of reinfection within 90 days is low. When the 90 exemption period expires, the identified individual(s) can return to the normal testing cadence.

G. Testing Infrastructure and Reporting The following sections outline the standards for testing infrastructure at for Atlantic East Conference members as well as reporting procedures. i. Securing testing supplies/labs Each member institution will be responsible for securing testing supplies, testing lab access (if required), and the personnel to conduct the testing, reporting and contact tracing. ii. Type of test or testing method Each member institution has the autonomy to use the type of test and testing method as long as it adheres to the minimums set forth by the NCAA Sports Science Institute iii. Reporting cases to the conference office and/or other athletic departments

Page 3 of 11 Last updated February 11, 2021 It is essential to have open and transparent information exchange between all Atlantic East Conference members. These policies respect the need for individual privacy of medical information, but also recognize the need for information exchange. Each institution should plan to report the following: • If a Tier 1 individual tests positive for COVID-19 within 7 days of a competition, the Director of Athletics or Head Athletic Trainer will notify the opponent(s) (AD and Head Athletic Trainer). A plan to cancel, reschedule or resume the competition will be discussed by athletic administrators and/ or conference office. • The Director of Athletics or Head Athletic Trainer must notify all previous opponents (AD and Head Athletic Trainer) of any post competition positive test if contact tracing determines that individuals from any opponents meet the close contact standard. • The Director of Athletics or Head Athletic Trainer must also notify, as a courtesy, all previous opponents (AD and Head Athletic Trainer) where incidental contact may have occurred within 14 days prior to the positive test. • Each member institution is required to notify the conference office when a team is precluded from further athletics activity for a specified period of time or indefinitely.

2. General Risk Minimization Minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission will continue to be the ultimate goal. The plan to safely resume athletic activities includes the following mitigation strategies for shared spaces, equipment, travel and positive COVID-19 cases:

● Daily Screening: All student-athletes, athletics personnel and officials should complete a daily symptom screening ● Masks: All individuals are required to wear a mask to and from athletic activities. Masks will be required during practices and on the benches/ sideline during competitions. Student-athletes will be encouraged to wear a mask during competition. Volleyball student-athletes are required to wear a mask during competitions. Coaches, event staff, athletics personnel and officials will wear masks at all times. Neck gaiters (exception see men’s lacrosse) and face shields will not be acceptable during athletic activities. Surgical masks, N-95 masks or cloth face masks are acceptable ● Social Distancing: All individuals are required to observe at minimum 6 feet of social distancing when possible ● Game Balls: Game balls will only be used for games and when needed, will undergo a cleaning ● Locker Rooms: Locker rooms will not be available for practice or competitions other than swimming on a restricted basis ● Facility Cleaning: Each institution will be responsible for ensuring their athletic facilities are cleaned on a regular basis each day ● Equipment Cleaning: Equipment will be cleaned by designated individuals after each practice or competition using EPA approved product. “Equipment” refers to all tables, chairs, balls, hoops/ goals, stationary bikes, white boards, markers, etc... ● Travel Roster: Only participating student-athletes will travel (i.e. injured/ ill student-athletes and personnel not deemed essential will not be on the travel roster). Athletic Trainers will only travel with men’s lacrosse for regular season games and post-season games for all other spring sports. Page 4 of 11 Last updated February 11, 2021 ● Athletic Training: Each member institution will communicate in advance what services will be available (i.e. taping, water, moist heat, ice bags, towels, etc…) ● Charter Bus Travel: The Atlantic East Conference encourages all of their member institutions to adhere to bus company policy and procedures. This includes decreasing the size of the travel roster if necessary. Masks during travel on charter busses will be required. All members of each travel party will be required to show proof of a completed daily screening before departure. A seating chart needs to be developed by each head coach ● Fans: There will be no fans at any event with the exception of senior day/night where each senior will be allowed to bring 2 guests to that game. Senior day celebrations should follow all campus Covid protocols, including masking. ● Hydration: Hands free water options are encouraged for sideline cooler use. If hands free options are unavailable teams are responsible for providing their own water (i.e. case(s) of bottled water). Water bottles and/ or cups will not be provided by host institutions ● Open Gyms, Captain’s Practices and Pick-Up Games: With student-athlete health and safety being the priority, open gyms, captain’s practices and pick-up game opportunities will not be permitted during the spring semester ● Meals during Travel: Teams are not permitted to sit down in restaurants for a meals. All meals should be ordered ahead for take- out or outdoor eating. Food should not be consumed during van and charter bus travel. Drinks can be consumed using a straw to place underneath your mask. ● Hand Sanitizer: Hand sanitizer should be made available for all spring Atlantic East competitions ● Greetings and Celebrations: Handshakes, fist bumps, hugs, elbow touches or anything similar is not permitted by student- athletes, coaches, staff members, event staff and/ or officials.

3. Positive Test Response Standards The Atlantic East Conference encourages each member institution to maintain campus policies that follow Federal (CDC), state and local recommendations or mandates for quarantine and isolation periods.

A. Quarantine • In the event that a Tier 1 individual, defined above, becomes positive, all other Tier 1 individuals on that team will pause athletic activity under the presumption that a high-risk exposure has occurred. Contact tracing will then commence. Each sport and team will be addressed individually when positive cases arise • If permitted by local public health departments, quarantine may end after day 7 if a diagnostic specimen tests negative and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before the time of planned quarantine discontinuation (e.g., in anticipation of testing delays), but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than after Day 7.

Page 5 of 11 Last updated February 11, 2021 • If permitted by local public health departments, quarantine may end after Day 10 without testing and if no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring. • Those individuals that have discontinued quarantine must follow these guidelines through Day 14: o No clinical evidence of COVID-19 has been elicited by daily symptom monitoring during the entirety of quarantine up to the time at which quarantine is discontinued; and, o Daily symptom monitoring continues through quarantine Day 14; and, o Persons should be counseled regarding the need to adhere strictly through quarantine Day 14 to all recommended non- pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs±, a.k.a. mitigation strategies), especially. They should be advised that if any symptoms develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact Student Health Services to report this change in clinical status • Quarantine may end as normal after 14 days. If an individual remains symptomatic they should inform a member of the athletic training staff • Individuals may workout, by themselves, as long as they do not develop any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 if they do, they must notify the Sports Performance Staff

B. Isolation – Antigen and/ or PCR Positive Individuals who are confirmed positive through an antigen or PCR test will be considered to have a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. All student-athletes, coaches and staff members that test positive will be required to isolate for 10 days. Student-athletes should not workout while in isolation. Follow-up testing in an attempt to override the initial positive COVID test will not be permitted.

C. Return to Play Individuals that test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for 10 days and will refrain from working out until cleared by a physician. Following clearance from a Team Physician and under the direction of sports medicine staff members, student-athletes will engage in a return to play protocol similar to the one listed below: • Student-athletes that experienced symptoms following a positive test must get clearance from a Team Physician and be symptom free for a full 7 days before starting a return-to-play protocol after isolation. Follow-up cardiac testing might be deemed necessary by a Team Physician if symptoms were moderate to severe and/ or prolonged. • If a student-athlete is asymptomatic following a positive test they will need to rest for 5 days before starting a return-to-play protocol after isolation. • Each return-to-play protocol should be tailored to each student-athletes respective sport

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7 Day Phase 1 Phase 2 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage Progression Day 1 Day 2 Day 1 Day 2 5 Return

Exercises Simple Simple Progression to Progression to Progression Normal Allowed Movement Movement More Complex More Complex to More Training Activities E.G., Activities E.G., Training Training Complex Activities Running Drills Running Drills Activities Activities Training Activities

% of HR Max <70% <75% <80% <85% <85% Full Practice

Duration <30 minutes of <45 minutes of <60 minutes of <90 minutes <105 Full practice practice practice minutes Practice

Objective Increase Load Increase Load Exercise Assess Assess Resume Gradually, Gradually, coordination and functional skills functional normal Manage Any Manage Any skills/tactics skills training Fatigue Fatigue Symptoms Symptoms *Immediately Stop Activity if SA(s) are feeling chest pain, chest tightness, extreme SOB, cyanosis, loss of consciousness*

D. Symptomatic and/ or Positive COVID-19 response during travel i. If an individual develops symptoms consistent with COVID-19 while traveling, a sports medicine staff member and athletic administrator should be informed immediately. The symptomatic individual must wear a face mask, self-isolate and refrain from contact with anyone in the travel party until further directions are provided. ii. A plan will be developed between athletic administrators and the head coach for transportation back to campus. Examples for transportation include the following: a. A designated individual will pick-up the individual in a university/ college vehicle b. The individual will be isolated on the charter bus c. A rental car will be arranged for a coach to drive the individual back to campus

Page 7 of 11 Last updated February 11, 2021 iii. Once the individual has returned to campus, they will be required to isolate and touch base with Student Health Services. iv. If a member of the travel party becomes symptomatic or tests positive for COVID-19 within 48 hours after a competition, an athletic administrator will communicate with the previous opponent and the conference office

E. Considerations for Suspending Practice and Game Cancellations Atlantic East Conference member institutions will take all necessary precautions to protect members of their campus communities. Precautions may include suspending practices and competitions if deemed necessary. The Atlantic East Conference has adopted the following criteria to help decide if athletic activities need to be suspended. Decisions to suspend athletic activities will not solely be made on the following information. The conference commissioner, athletic administrators, Team Physician(s), Student Health Services and public health departments should each be consulted to help make suspension and cancellation decisions.

Team Positivity Rate (TPR)1 and Population Positivity Rate (PPR)2 Thresholds Atlantic East member institution have the autonomy to implement the TPR and PPR to determine if teams are in the “green,” “orange,” or “red” categories based on the following criteria:

Team positivity rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests administered in a 7 day time frame): • Green: 0-1.99% • Orange: 2-4.99% • Red: ≥5% Population positivity rate (number of positive individuals divided by total population at risk): • Green: 0-3.49% • Orange: 3.5-7.49% • Red: ≥7.5%

Decisions to alter or postpone practice and competition can be influenced by the following scenarios: • Green/Green and Green/Orange: Team continues with normal practice and competition. • Orange/Orange and Orange/Red: Team must proceed with caution and enhance COVID-19 prevention (alter practice and meeting schedule, consider viability of continuing with scheduled competition). • Red/Red: Team must stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days and reassess metrics until improved. If the TPR and PPR are in the orange/orange or orange/red scenario, the institution’s administration in consultation with appropriate

1 This figure is calculated by dividing the number of positive tests of SAs by the total number of SAs on the team. 2 This figure is calculated by dividing the number of positive tests of all of tier one (SAs, staff, coaches) by the total number of tier 1 individuals. Page 8 of 11 Last updated February 11, 2021 medical and public health authorities, will determine whether a game should be canceled, or other adjustments should be made to practices and competitions. • In the event that a Tier 1 individual, defined above, becomes positive, all other Tier 1 individuals on that team will pause athletic activity under the presumption that a high-risk exposure has occurred. Contact tracing will then commence. Each sport and team will be addressed individually when positive cases arise

Sport Specific and Officials Risk Minimization Low Risk Transmission Sports Golf: ● All student-athletes will be encouraged to wear a mask at all times but have the option to remove their mask when competition begins. Masks must be worn during warm-up prior to competition. ● All coaches, staff, officials and non-competing student-athletes must wear a face mask at all times ● Physical distancing for 6 feet or more should be maintained at all times during practice and competition, unless medical services are being provided ● Team meetings must be masked with social distancing in place Tennis: ● All student-athletes will be encouraged to wear a mask at all times but have the option to remove their mask when competition begins. Masks must be worn during warm-up prior to competition. If competition or practice is conducted indoors, masks must be worn at all times for student-athletes ● All coaches, staff, officials and non-competing student-athletes must wear a face mask at all times ● Physical distancing must occur at all times except for when student-athletes are playing a doubles match or if medical services are being provided ● Masks must be worn during side changes ● Team meetings must be masked with social distancing in place Track and Field: ● All student-athletes will be encouraged to wear a mask at all times but have the option to remove their mask just before their event. Masks must be worn during warm-ups and cool down. ● All coaches, staff, officials and non-competing student-athletes must wear a face mask at all times ● Physical distance must occur at all times except for during competition or if medical services are being provided ● Team meetings must be masked with social distancing in place ● There will be no check-in area Swimming: ● All student-athletes must wear mask when they are not in the pool

Page 9 of 11 Last updated February 11, 2021 ● All coaches, staff, officials and non-competing student-athletes must wear a face mask at all times ● Only coaches, officials, sports medicine staff, events staff and student-athletes from the current race and next two races are allowed on the pool deck ● Only student-athletes actively warming up shall be on the pool deck ● Locker room access for changing and showering post activity will be restricted to 3 student-athletes at a time ● Team meetings must be masked with social distancing in place

Intermediate Risk Transmission Sports Baseball/ Softball: • All student-athletes, coaches, managers and athletic personnel are required to wear a mask at all times during practice • All student-athletes will be encouraged to wear a mask at all times, but have the option to remove their mask when competition begins. Masks must be worn during warm-up prior to competition. Players on the field should keep a mask in their back pocket at all times. When there is a coach-player interaction (example: a mound visit), the players involved must wear a mask. • All coaches, staff, officials and student-athletes in the dugout and bullpen must wear a face mask at all times • Physical distancing must occur in dugouts and bullpens. Utilization of bleachers for social distancing will be necessary • Teams are not allowed to leave the dugout for celebrations • Line-up exchange will be quick with no handshakes or anything similar. Social distancing will occur as well. • No seed spitting will be permitted. Eating and drinking of any kind should be done with physical distancing of more than 6 feet • All shared equipment (bats and helmets) must be cleaned in between use • No batboys or batgirls. • Team meetings/ huddles must be masked with social distancing in place Lacrosse: ● All student-athletes will be encouraged to wear a mask at all times but have the option to remove their mask when competition begins. Masks must be worn during warm-up prior to competition. Due to the nature of men’s lacrosse frequent substitutions and helmets, neck gaiters may be permitted during the game as an alternative. ● Each student-athlete is responsible for their own equipment. It should not be exchanged between student-athletes ● Social distancing must occur on the sideline and while student-athletes are in the substitution area ● Use sanitizing wipes to clean lacrosse sticks following an official’s check Officials • Officials will be expected to bring their own masks, water bottles and towels for each contest and will follow the following prescribed Atlantic East policies for pre-competition • Each official is expected to screen themselves daily and not travel to a contest if they believe they may be ill. • Officials should not travel if they are experiencing any symptoms or have a temperature of 100.4°F or above. Page 10 of 11 Last updated February 11, 2021 • Officials should not travel together to the site of competition to avoid the possibility of more than one official being disqualified for a competition • If an official’s results are positive, they will not be allowed to work the contest. • If the minimum number of officials are cleared by testing to officiate the competition then competition will be played. However, if the minimum number of officials (as permitted in the rules) is not available, the contest may be postponed. Efforts will be made to identify officials locally who may be able to reach the site of competition and work the contest after being tested. A final decision on conducting the competition will be made by both competing schools’ athletics administrations and/ or the Atlantic East Commissioner • Officials will be supplied with access to a hand washing station or hand sanitizer while they are at each institution. • Officials should be prepared to not have locker rooms • All officials should plan to mask for the duration of their time on campus and/ or at a competition venue

The following sports have specific NCAA testing recommendations for officials: Baseball and Softball • Plate umpires will be required to have a PCR test within three days prior to first competition or a rapid antigen test on the day of competition. Any official scheduled to work behind the plate (DH switches) will be required to test. There is no testing requirement for base umpires who do not plan to work the plate. The Atlantic East Conference will work with the assignors to coordinate COVID testing

Officials in all other sports (not listed above) must complete a COVID screening and temperature check upon arriving at the site of competition. This should happen immediately after arrival and information on the location of the check will be provided to the officials in advance of arrival.

Masking - The following sports will require masking of the officials during competition: • Baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, soccer (center is preferred and required on the sidelines), swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball

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