Aspen Institute’s Project Play Info On Dealing With the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic
Yes, we have to discourage hugs and ban sharing drinks and the use of locker rooms as America Returns To Play … but there is so much more to consider to protect kids and adults from the spread of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
Aspen Institute has launched a Return to Play Risk Assessment guide, created by their Sports & Society Program and the Health, Medicine & Society Program. This tool is offered to help youth soccer programs, as well as all youth sports minimizing the transmission of COVID-19 as kids begin to return to play.
According to the Aspen Institute’s website, the materials are based on CDC guidelines and were reviewed by experts from the American College of Sports Medicine and the Hospital for Special Surgery, as well as officials at various national sport governing bodies who shared their input.
While the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is still recommending that organized sports be postponed, we are all in a delicate balancing act in an unprecedented environment. How we chose to chart this unchartered territory is a very personal decision as we find ourselves immersed in government restrictions and recommendations. As of May 16, the CDC website states, “In general, most organized activities and sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer, and football that are held on park fields, open areas, and courts are not recommended during times in which individuals are encouraged or required to practice social distancing.”
If you are exploring options of Return To Play … here are some helpful ideas. And, please, if you are sick, or think you have been exposed to the Coronavirus, stay home.
The Aspen Institute’s RETURN TO PLAY TOOL has easy to understand graphics and explains in simple terms what returning to play can look like in the complex world of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
Is it safe to Return to Play?
Recently Aspen Institute surveyed parents who responded that 50% of parents fear kids will get sick by returning to sports.
Recap of the Survey Findings: Once restrictions are lifted, 7 our of 10 parents expect their kids to be back playing sports.
Financial concerns are also a factor in the return to play to organized sports. The survey showed that 54% of sports parents’ finances have been impacted negatively by the COVID-19 crisis. The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to 14.7% in April, the highest level since the Great Depression.
Only 58% of African American parents anticipate their child resuming any sports activities at the same or higher level as before once allowed, according to the survey. That’s far less than parents who are white (73%), and also less than Hispanics (66%).
Listen to the Webinar: Coronavirus and Youth Sports: How Should Youth Sports Return to Play?
Aspen Institute’s recent webinar on the Coronavirus and youth sports was an hour-long discussion with speakers:
- Dr. Jill Daugherty, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) epidemiologist, COVID-19 response task force
- Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Chief Medical Officer
- Lauren Sauer, Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) Director of Operations
- Steven Bank, UCLA School of Law Vice Dean, sports liability expert
And, as Jon Soloman writes, Health experts: Travel games should be last to return in youth sports.
Please Note: The Aspen Institute clearly states that the Return To Play Tool should be treated as a general information resource only, rather than medical advice or a recommendation to participate in any one activity over another.
