SIMSBURY LITTLE LEAGUE
COVID 19 PREVENTION PLAN
Simsbury Little League will take all preventative measures recommended to insure safety for players, coaches, umpires and families. All safety policies in place will be made in conjunction with the town of Simsbury, the Farmington Valley Health Department and Little League Baseball.
All guidance regarding contact tracing, quarantining, and continuation of activities will be made with the guidance of the Farmington Valley Health District, and state guidelines.
All safety protocols will be reviewed prior to the start of the season during the managers and coaches meetings. Additional measures may be required due to state and local requirements.
1) General Guidelines:
a) Face coverings will be worn by all players and coaches when they are in the dugout, in team bench area and at other times when social distancing is not possible;
b) Face coverings are not required to be worn by players on the field for game play;
c) Any participant, fan or volunteer with symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked to stay home with symptoms including but not limited to: fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of smell/taste; and
d) Any player, coach or participant that displays symptoms should immediately notify should immediately notify coach, league director or safety director. Upon notification, the president and safety director will determine the appropriate course of action.
2) Equipment
a) Equipment will not be shared between players;
b) Players will have their own individual batter’s helmet, glove, bat and catcher’s equipment. SLL will provide such equipment, other than a glove, to players that do not have their own. The player will be assigned such equipment for the season and is responsible for having at all team activities and returning at the end of the season; and
c) There will be no sharing of food or drink amongst players and/or coaches.
3) On-Field Guidelines:
a) All teams will designate one coach or parent volunteer to be responsible for sanitizing dugouts, bleachers and other high contact areas at the completion of each practice and/or game;
b) Sanitizing sprayers will be stored in field sheds;
c) Teams will not enter field until previous teams have completely vacated and commonly touched surfaces cleaned by previous event coaches;
d) Hand sanitizer will be available at all fields. Players will also be encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer for personal us;
e) No spitting, eating sunflower seeds or chewing gum will be allowed; and
f) Measures must be taken to prevent all but the essential contact necessary to play the game. This includes refraining from handshakes, high fives, fist/elbow bumps or group celebrations
4) Post Game:
a) No handshake line at the end of games. Players will line up outside dugout and tip caps toward the other team;
b) High touch surfaces will be cleaned by coaches after each event including dugouts, fences, gate latches, benches and bleachers; and
c) Players are encouraged to leave the park immediately following the end of their game/practice.
5) Dugout
a) Dugouts use will be minimized again for 2021 season;
b) When not on the field, players will be assigned spots outside the dugout each separated by 6 feet either on the sideline or on the bleachers; and
c) Players will wear face coverings when not playing and when social distancing is not possible,
6) Umpires
a) Regular season games will continue to use 1 umpire stationed behind the pitcher’s mound;
b) Umpires will wear face coverings during play and when social distancing is not possible; and
c) Equipment inspection will be visual only.
7) Family Members/Fans Guidelines
a) We will be posting our guidelines on our website and asking people not to attend SLL events if they have any Covid symptoms;
b) Spectators will be required to maintain proper social distancing – using premeasured viewing locations at the fields; and
c) Fans will be required to wear face coverings when unable to maintain proper social distancing.
