Netball NSW is pleased to advise that the NSW Government has responded to the requests of the sporting sector and increased the maximum number of people who can attend an outdoor gathering for community sporting activity to 1,000 people.
An amended Public Health Order has now been released which specifically references community sporting activity in section 2.12. The new order also includes a new definition, which states:
- a community sporting activity includes a training session for a community sporting activity.
Further, a new template COVID-19 Safety Plan has been developed for community sport and this is the plan which all community sporting bodies will be required to complete in order to conduct outdoor community sporting activities, including training.
Note that all items below refer only to fully vaccinated people aged 16 and over, children 15 years or younger and those with a valid medical exemption (medical certificate required).
- The maximum number of people for a COVID-19 safe outdoor public gathering for community sporting activity is 1,000 people.
- The 1,000 person limit is subject to the general requirement that there can be no more than 1 person per 2 square metres of available space at an outdoor premises. Note that for ease of calculation, one netball court is approximately 500 square metres.
- A COVID-19 Safety Plan for Community Sport is required for all community sporting activity, including training, regardless of the number of participants.
- The maximum capacity at an indoor recreation facility is 1 person per 4 square metres.
- There is no limit on gathering sizes within an indoor recreation facility except for gym and dance classes which are limited to 20 people.
- Masks must still be worn when not participating in exercise.
A COVID-19 safe outdoor public gathering for community sporting activity (maximum 1,000 people) is one which meets the following requirements:
- Is operating under a Community Sport COVID-19 Safety Plan, which must be available on site at all times for inspection;
- Is using QR codes to record attendance at the venue;
- Has designated individuals checking the vaccination status of people attending the venue and is taking reasonable steps to ensure that unvaccinated people are not attending.
The COVID-19 Safety Plan required for outdoor community sport is the new ‘Community Sport’ plan. At the time of writing, that plan was not yet available on the NSW Health website. When it is uploaded it will be available here.
Netball NSW will advise Associations when the new plan is available and will also upload a template version of the new Community Sport COVID-19 Safety Plan to the Netball NSW COVID-19 Information page on the website to assist Associations.
Travel between Greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Central Coast LGAs) and Regional NSW will not be permitted until 1 November, to allow people in the regions more time to receive their second vaccine.
Currently the re-opening roadmap indicates that from 1 December, community sport will be permitted for all people. However, it should be noted that this date is indicative and could change. Further, there is no advice available at present to indicate if there will be limits on the number of people able to participate at that time.
Recommended Resources
Despite ongoing requests from Netball NSW (and many other sports) the NSW Government has given no guidance on how volunteers are to enforce the mandatory vaccination requirements at community sport, other than to say that ‘reasonable steps must be taken to ensure unvaccinated adults are not attending.’
Below are a number of links which go to information and in some cases resources (ie posters etc) which have been prepared by the NSW Government to assist with preparing for and managing COVID-19 safe gatherings. Note that currently the majority of the resources are aimed at businesses, not volunteer run sporting organisations, however sport specific versions are hopefully in development.
To stay up-to-date please continue to check the NSW Office of Sport COVID-19 Latest Information page. This page is regularly updated and provides links to other relevant Government websites.
All information sent to Clubs and Associations will also be kept on the Netball NSW Latest COVID-19 Information page for as long as it remains relevant and up-to-date.
As always, Netball NSW will continue to provide updates as circumstances change. For any further information, please feel free to contact your Regional Manager, Association contact or any Netball NSW staff member for assistance.
