An update to our COVID planning

As we mentioned in last week’s update, things are progressing with receiving approval for getting back on the field this spring. Here’s an update with more specific information to the process and where we are with Rugby Ontario, the city of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health.

COVID-19 Sanctioning:

We are finalizing the last part of the sanctioning process with Rugby Ontario, with over 14 age grades:

• Co-ed U6/8/10,
• Boys U12/14/16/18/19,
• Girls U12/14/16/18/19, and
• Senior men.

Add to the fact we have 3 fields requiring an Emergency Action Plan and sanctioning by Rugby Ontario:

• St Pat’s HS,
• Ridgemont HS, and
• Canterbury HS.

It does take time for Rugby Ontario to review (they are down to 3-4 employees for all of Ontario). We are hoping this will be done in the next week or two.

Here are links to Rugby Ontario’s Return to Play (RTP) site information:

• Rugby Ontario Return to Play website
• Rugby Ontario Club Status Doc
• RO Return to Play Phase Info

2021 Registration

As with ALL rugby clubs in Ottawa, we are governed by Rugby Ontario, the provincial health guidelines for RTP and Ottawa Public Health (OPH). The registration system cannot be opened before Rugby Ontario has finished their sanctioning process and evaluation. Once that is done we have to work with OPH and will wait for the region to be moved into the Orange zone.

In the Red zone, ALL OTTAWA CLUBS can only offer 25 participants outdoors per field, including coach and covid person, shared ball only, no flags. Once we are back into the Orange zone, or when we are told we are going back to the Orange zone, we will open up the registration site, please stay tuned.

As far as we know, EORU Rep and Arrows Academy have been given special status as High Performance.

No rugby can be done on school or city fields until they open up on May 15/17th, which is our current projected start date.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to get the best, safest and most rewarding program available given the circumstances. You are part of the Blues family and your safety and well being are of the utmost importance to us.

Call for volunteers & COVID assistants:

For those who helped the club out last fall as covid assistants (cleaning balls, flags, tacking attendance, attestation forms) we thank you very much. We of course will be needing more people again this year until the covid restrictions are lifted. If you are available to help out in any way here is what we need you to do:

1. please take the 2021 World Rugby COVID ADMIN course (online course, approximately 20 minutes). If you did the online course last year, you still have to take the course.
2. Once completed, please download and email the certificate pdf, with your full name and email address to:
   • Derek Seeley – health.safety@bytownbluesrugby.ca AND
   • Jim Shaw – president@bytownbluesrugby.ca.

Coaches

You will also have to retake the covid course online for 2021.

1. Take the 2021 World Rugby COVID COACHES course (online course, approximately 20 minutes). Again, if you did the online course last year, you still have to take the course.
2. Once completed, download and email the certificate pdf, with your full name and email address to:
   • Derek Seeley – health.safety@bytownbluesrugby.ca AND
   • Jim Shaw – president@bytownbluesrugby.ca.

We hope that everyone is coping well and staying safe during these trying times. Do not be afraid to reach out for emotional and mental assistance should you need it.

Advance

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