Please note, this Memo replaces the Memo released on Thursday 7 October – which has now been removed from the Netball NSW website.
Despite earlier guidance received by Netball NSW from the Office of Sport, the recent announcement by the Premier that the limit for outdoor gatherings would rise to 30 people does not include sport and exercise groups.
This means all sport and exercise groups must be limited to 20 person maximums from Monday 11 October until further notice. Netball NSW apologises for the inconvenience. The information below is now current and in line with the latest Public Health Order
With NSW having now passed the 70% target of full vaccination of the eligible adult population (16+), the easing of restrictions from Monday 11 October will allow for gatherings for sport and exercise.
Fully vaccinated people aged 16 and over, children 15 years or younger and those with a valid medical exemption (medical certificate required) can undertake sport and exercise at outdoor public gatherings in groups of up to 20. Importantly:
- The 20 person limit is inclusive of all attendees including participants, coaches, support staff and spectators/parents;
- The 20 person limit includes all children and adults. No group can exceed 20 in total.
- Multiple groups of 20 can attend one location, provided groups do not intermingle and people do not move from one group to another. A significant distance should also be kept between groups (ie a fully vacant court).
This will enable community sport training activities to take place provided the activity is compliant with all points listed above and the Public Health Order, which can be viewed here.
For indoor facilities the occupier of the premises must not allow more than 20 persons to attend a group activity at the facility (identical vaccination requirements apply, as per outdoor gatherings shown above). Note that all indoor facilities require a mask to be worn unless engaged in physical exercise. Those in exercise classes are required to wear masks.
All of the above is for areas considered to be ‘general areas’ by the NSW Government. At the time of writing, it is anticipated that all of NSW will be considered a general area from Monday 11 October, however this could change at any time depending on COVID-19 case numbers and affected areas may be put back under stay-at-home orders whereby the above would no longer apply. Under stay-at-home orders outdoor gatherings are restricted to five fully vaccinated people.
Community sport competition will not be permitted until NSW reaches the 80% full vaccination target. This is currently forecast to be Monday 25 October, however that date is subject to change pending vaccination levels and any other announcements from the NSW Government. Based on the current information, only adults (16+) who are fully vaccinated, those with a valid medical exemption and children will be permitted to participate in community sport at the 80% vaccination level.
The re-opening roadmap also 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.
For more information on the re-opening roadmap visit the Roadmap for easing COVID-19 restrictions.
80% Vaccination Rate
In the lead up to the 80% vaccination rate being met the NSW Government will release further information and an updated Public Health Order outlining how things will operate from that point. Netball NSW expects to receive ongoing information relating to the rules which will be in place once the 80% vaccination target is reached. This will be shared as soon as practical.
A requirement of all community sport operators upon reaching the 80% target will be the completion of a new COVID-19 Safety Plan and the use of QR codes to record attendance at venues. The COVID-19 Safety Plan required will be the ‘Outdoor Events’ plan available on the NSW Health website here. There is still some uncertainty around what the attendance limits will be at community sport events once the 80% target is reached. When that is known, Netball NSW will upload a template version of the new COVID-19 Safety Plan to the Netball NSW COVID-19 Information page on the website to assist Associations.
Note that the Office of Sport website currently recommends that COVID-19 Safety Plans are required for outdoor sport and exercise gatherings of 20. Associations and Clubs can get ahead by creating their COVID-19 Safety Plans now, but strictly speaking under the Public Health Order, they will only become mandatory at the 80% vaccination level and the official resumption of community sport.
Unfortunately, there are still some questions we can’t answer from the information available at present about the full return of community sport, such as:
- If attendance limits will be capped and if they will differ for indoor or outdoor community sporting events;
- How vaccination status of participants (players, coaches, umpires, officials etc) and spectators will be checked, recorded, monitored and enforced by volunteer committees and organisers;
- What happens if a positive COVID case attends a community sporting event of fully vaccinated people, does the event get shut down with everyone needing to isolate?
The NSW Government has also developed a range of resources to assist organisations with reopening, which are available by clicking here.
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.
