MSC Safety Guidelines (COVID Return-To-Play)

Fall 2021 Season

We want all of our players and parents to be safe and feel comfortable playing and have aligned our safety guidelines with the NJDOH and Ridgewood Public School System. We will also follow any guideline recommendations from the county, town, and schools.

We DO NOT have a separate policy from the Ridgewood School system. If you have been asked to quarantine by the Ridgewood School system then you must not participate in practices or games until the quarantine period is over. Please notify your Team Manager and Coach in these circumstances.

Spring 2021 Season (For reference purposes only)

We want all of our players and parents to be safe and feel comfortable practicing during this time and have developed specific return-to-play guidelines developed in alignment with the NJDOH and Ridgewood Public School System. We will also follow any guideline recommendations from the county, town, and schools.

As a club requirement, all players, parents, and coaches must (1) adhere to our Safety Guidelines, which stipulate specific safety requirements for organized practices , (2) complete our Club’s online liability waiver, and (3) use the TeamSnap health check feature before each practice and game.

Return-to-Play Requirements:

Review and adhere to the MSC – Return-to-Play Guidelines – v3-14-21 (last updated March 14, 2021), Gameday safety checklist (below), and club policies (below)
Complete MSC online liability waiver
Use the TeamSnap health check feature before each practice and game

Gameday Safety Checklists

Parent Checklist

Check your child’s temperature before leaving the house
Complete the TeamSnap Health Check for your son or daughter prior to arriving at the field
Sit on the same sideline as your team (home and away sidelines will be designated)
Maintain a 6ft distance from other families at all times
Wear a mask while watching the game

Player Checklist

Get your temperature checked by your coach at the field and prior to warming up
Bring and use hand sanitizer
Place bags and water bottles at least 6 feet apart
Do not touch or share anyone else’s equipment - including ball or water
Respect and practice physical distancing
Wear a mask when not in the game
Try to keep at least 6ft apart from your teammates when not in the game
No group celebrations, high 5’s, hugs, handshakes, fist bumps, etc.

Club Policies

Last updated: 3.14.2021

Positive Test:
In the event a player or coach tests positive for COVID-19, the following procedures will be followed:

Player should quarantine for 10 days as per NJDOH guidelines. The last event the Player participated in should be noted as the start of the quarantine period. (more info)
Player should be tested and receive the results before the end of the quarantine period. Player can return to the field after the 10 day quarantine period with a negative test result.
Player’s parents should inform MSC President Clay Fisher, DOC Matt Myers, the team’s coach, and their Ridgewood School nurse.
The entire team must pause play. Players can return to the field after a 7 day quarantine period if (1) the Player does not experience any symptoms, AND (2) has received a negative test within 72 hours of the end of the quarantine period (day 5,6,7). (more info)
All coaches involved with the player are required to get tested immediately.
The Club will communicate the situation to the team’s parents and keep Player’s name / personal information confidential. The Club will also provide updates to the team parents as the test results are known.
Coaches and parents should continue to be vigilant with safety procedures for the team.

Close Contact:
In the event a player or coach has been in close contact with someone who’s tested positive, the following procedures will be followed:

Player must quarantine for a 7 day period and closely monitor symptoms. The last contact with the person who tested positive should be noted as the start of the quarantine period.
Player can return to the field after the 7 day period if (1) the Player does not experience any symptoms, AND (2) has received a negative test within 72 hours of the end of the quarantine period. (more info)
Player can also quarantine a full 10 days and can return to the field if the Player does not experience any symptoms.
Player’s parents should share the exposure with MSC President Clay Fisher, DOC Matt Myers, the team’s coach, and their Ridgewood School nurse.

Symptoms:
In the event a player or coach displays COVID-19 symptoms, the following procedure will be followed:

Player must refrain from playing and quarantine 10 days since the onset of symptoms.
In order to safely return to the field, the player must (1) be 24 hours fever free without medication AND demonstrate an improvement of symptoms throughout the 10 days at home, OR (2) receives an alternate diagnosis, OR (3) receives a Negative COVID test result.

Policy FAQ's

I am travelling for Spring Break. Do I need to quarantine upon return?

We follow the same safety guidelines as RPS, NJDOH, and the CDC. Please view the latest travel guidelines here.

How do I know if my son/daughter was in close contact / proximity?

If you are unsure, always err on the side of caution and follow the close contact protocols above. The CDC defines close proximity as "Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated." See details on the CDC website.

Do the coaches need to quarantine if a player tests positive?

If a player tests positive our coaches are required to get tested immediately. Coaches only need to quarantine if they've been in physical contact with the positive COVID-19 player or in close proximity (within 6-feet) for more than 10 minutes. Since our coaches follow strict guidelines to remain 6-feet apart and wear masks at all times they should not have to quarantine if one of their players tests positive.

Are your protocols aligned with Ridgewood Schools?

Yes, we are following CDC and NJDOH guidelines as well as the Ridgewood School guidelines.

What do we do if a player on another team tests positive?

In the event a player on an opposing team reports a positive test, our MSC team will assume close contact exposure and follow the close contact protocols above which will require the team to shut down for 14 days and get tested before returning to the field.

TeamSnap Health Check

An important part of our safety guidelines is the consistent use of TeamSnap’s Health Check feature for all practices and games. The Health Check is a simple health screen feature available on the day of practices and games. Don’t have the TeamSnap app? Email Carolyn Muccio at maroonssoccer@yahoo.com.

The Health Check can be found in the middle section of the actual event when you open the actual event. There’s a few simple questions that need to be answered. Upon successful completion you will get an all cleared notification. This is similar to what the kids are completing for school each day. Please make sure this is done starting 8 hours prior to each event. Failure to complete will result in not being allowed to play during practice and/or game.