CLL 2022 COVID PROTOCOL


CLL will follow many of the best practices provided by LL International…
LL International Best Practices https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/best-practices/

All adult volunteers, players, and spectators will be mandated to adhere to the guidelines listed below in order to participate as a volunteer or player or attend events as a spectator at any Caldwell Little League [CLL] activity during the time period that restrictions are in place due to Covid-19. Failure to adhere to the guidelines listed below will result in disciplinary action by a league official.  At all times, the recommendations for youth sports as published by the CDC, State of NJ, and Little League Baseball International will be followed by league volunteers, players, and spectators. All managers, coaches, umpires, and league volunteers will be required to review these rules and regulations prior to assuming the volunteer role. At the player’s first team meeting the Team Manager will conduct a safety briefing with all players and reinforce the guidelines at the beginning of each team activity.
 
GENERAL GUIDELINES
1. Team managers shall screen all players for symptoms prior to allowing the player entry to the field of play/game site for practice [initial phase] and games [later phase].
a. All staff, volunteers, and athletes should bring to sporting events and wear, reusable/washable cloth face coverings over their nose and mouth when around others and not actively engaged in athletics and when social distancing is not possible.
b. The manager will wear a face mask during the screening process and send any player exhibiting symptoms home immediately. Parents of players with symptoms prior to arriving at the field shall contact the manager to inform them that the player will miss practice/game. 
c. The parent/person bringing the player to the field may not leave until the player has been screened and deemed without current symptoms and allowed to enter the field. Parents/guardians of minors attending should be asked to wear cloth face coverings while around other attendees, staff, and athletes when social distancing is not possible.
d. Parents shall screen their child before arriving at any CLL activity.
e. The manager will email a designated league official notifying league of any child not able to attend a CLL activity due to a fever.
2. Hand hygiene will be always promoted.
a. Each manager will be issued alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol for inclusion in the team equipment.  Additional supplies of sanitizer will be available by contacting the Safety Officer.
b. Hand hygiene is required upon arrival to the field and upon leaving.
c. All players will be encouraged to keep an alcohol-based personal use size hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol as part of their equipment.
3. Sanitizing/Disinfecting High Touch Surfaces
a. Before the start of and at the conclusion of every practice the team manager or team parent will disinfect all high-touch areas including but not limited to baseballs, bats, helmets, and field rakes or other field equipment.
b. Spitting, chewing seeds, licking fingers, and gum are always prohibited.
c. All persons must either cough/sneeze into the crook of the elbow or into a disposable tissue. The tissue is to be placed in the trash bag immediately after use and hand sanitizer used.
4. Social Distancing
a. Players arriving to the field shall wear a face covering until admitted to the field of play. Once admitted the player shall sanitize hands to remove the covering and carefully store the face covering with his/her equipment as designated by the manager.
b. Each player shall have a designated spot for storing his/her equipment and waiting while on offense that is a minimum of 6’ away from all other players and spectators and behind protective fencing. During practices, the equipment can be kept on the field side of the fence.
c. Parents please bring a foldable camping or lawn chair, or a large bucket that kids can turn upside down to sit on when not of the field.
d. When the team is practicing or playing defense in the field players are not required to wear face coverings.
e. When the team is at-bat players are not required to wear face coverings if proper 6’ social distancing is maintained; when a player becomes the on-deck batter he/she shall enter the dugout and wait behind the screen until called to the plate to bat.
f. Players are not required to wear face coverings when on-base and running; once a player is retired, he/she shall immediately return to his/her designated spot and maintain 6’ social distancing.
g. At the conclusion of the practice/game players shall sanitize hands, put on their face covering, carefully pack up equipment, and wait at his/her designated spot until a parent/guardian has arrived for pick-up.
h. Any team conference or meeting must adhere to the 6’ distancing guideline and everyone in attendance must wear face coverings during the meeting.
i. No unnecessary contact is to be made between players and coaches including a prohibition on handshakes, fist/elbow bumps, back slaps, and high/low fives. As a measure of sportsmanship players and coaches are encouraged to use hat tips, clapping, and thumbs-up to show support and encouragement to each other.
5. Other
a. Volunteers should not transport players to/from the field if they are not immediate family members whenever possible. If a volunteer needs to transport a non-family member player all persons in the vehicle shall wear a face covering and maintain maximum distance as feasible per vehicle.
b. We ask each manager to dedicate team parent at each team event to monitor proper compliance with all guidelines and kindly correct any deviation from the guidelines, and report to the league president or safety officer any non-compliance following corrections.


PHASE 1 – Practice Phase
1. When possible, practices should be limited to 10 person-groups [9 players/1 coach or combination thereof] per group; all groups shall be self-contained and avoid any contact with other groups at the facility.
a. When possible, practices shall be scheduled to allow for 15 minutes between sessions.  When not possible, arriving teams shall warm up and stretch at a portion of the field or practice area separate from area currently being used.
b. Arriving players shall remain outside the field or practice area and remain stationed 6’ apart with face coverings on until the prior team has left the field.
c. Leaving players shall put on their face covering, exit field or practice area, taking all equipment and water bottles with them, and going promptly to outside the field or practice area into the parking lot or sidewalk areas.
d. The manager of the team leaving the field shall disinfect high touch areas, remove all team equipment, and remove all garbage following each session.
e. The arriving team shall then take up assigned positions along the first base foul line and begin practice.
2. Parents shall screen child for symptoms and temperature PRIOR to participation and report to team manager any symptoms or high fevers.  Any person with symptoms shall be prohibited from entering the field. Should a player or coach develop symptoms at practice they are to put on their face covering, be removed from the field or practice area, have the parent/guardian contacted for immediate pick-up [if a player], and promptly return home.
3. All practices shall be held outdoors and focus on skills and drills designed to maintain 6’ distancing between players and coaches. When this is not possible the coach and player[s] shall wear a face covering.
4. All players may use their own helmets, gloves, batting gloves, and bats as able.  Any player needing equipment shall use the equipment in the bag.  Any shared equipment shall be wiped down by manager, coaches, or team parents between uses.
5. Players are to label their equipment and equipment bag, always maintain both in good order, keep their equipment in their assigned place, and avoid touching other player’s gear. 
6. Shared equipment [not baseballs] shall be sanitized by the coach after each use. Each team will be stocked with disinfecting solutions, gloves, paper towels, and trash bags for sanitizing. Used paper towels are to be immediately discarded in the trash bag; the trash bag is to be sealed and removed following practice.
7. All baseballs shall be sanitized at the end of each practice. Where possible the number of players who come in contact with the baseball shall be limited [e.g., in throwing drills one baseball is used only by the 2 players in the drill]. At the completion of each drill where more than 1 person touched the ball the player/coach shall sanitize his/her hands using hand sanitizer.
8. No player or player equipment should enter the dugout for any purpose other than serving as the on-deck batter. Coaches in the dugout must wear a mask whenever a player is in the dugout.
9. Players and coaches must bring and use only their own water/sports drink for hydration in practices and, in Phase 2, games. All single use bottles must be properly disposed of before leaving the field; all reusable bottles must return home with the player.
10. No parents or spectators are permitted to be on the field, along the foul line fences, or in the bleachers during practices; they may remain in the parking areas but if they leave their vehicle 6’ social distancing must be maintained. Spectators of any type are prohibited from sitting, standing, or watching practice from anywhere other than the parking areas.


PHASE 2 - Competition
1. In this phase the CLL will follow the latest NJ state requirement for maximum spectators during a game.  Participants do NOT include spectators as they are not permitted on the field of play.
2. All Phase 1 and General Guidelines as listed above or modified in subsequent publication must be followed in Phase 2.
3. No concessions will be permitted in Phase 2.
4. Player, Coach, Umpire, and Team Parent pre-screening as outlined in General Guidelines #1 must be completed prior to any person entering the field of play. Once admitted to the field players shall report to the assigned foul line fence area for leaving their equipment.  Equipment will be relocated to outside the fence once the game begins.
5. Field preparation shall be done prior to any player arriving at the field if possible; once players arrive on the field only official coaches are permitted to prep the field. Field rakes shall be wiped down with disinfectant after each use; disposable gloves shall be available for volunteers who prefer to wear them while prepping/closing the field. Once all players have left the field parent volunteers may enter to rake and field and put away the bases.
6. All games will be played outdoors; when back-to-back games are scheduled the arriving teams shall report no more than 30 minutes prior to the game scheduled start and the leaving teams shall leave within 20 minutes of the socially distanced team meeting.
7. In all pregame and game activities 6’ distancing shall be maintained between players and coaches; when this is not feasible the coach shall wear a face covering.
8. Umpires: Field umpires shall wear a face covering during play as shall the plate umpire if positioned behind the pitcher’s mound; if behind the plate a face covering is not mandatory but still encouraged.
a. umpires should limit contact with the baseball [have players retrieve baseballs; new baseballs shall be tossed in by a coach of the team on defense from that team’s game balls]. Foul balls shall be retrieved by the player on offense who made the last out of the prior inning. This player shall be stationed near the gate to facilitate ease of baseball retrieval and shall have a face covering on at all times.
b. plate meetings must maintain 6’ social distancing and all participants must wear a mask; players shall not participate in plate meetings.
c. managers must request time to communicate with the umpire and be granted time before leaving the dugout; managers must wear a mask and maintain 6’ distance when in conversation with the umpire.
d. umpire conferences shall be held at a distance to prevent players from hearing the discussion and maintain 6’ distance between umpires; the plate umpire must have a mask available for use during conferences with managers and fellow umpires.
e. equipment inspection should be visible if possible [if the umpire needs the player present for visual inspection the player must also wear a face covering], if not the umpire should wear disposable gloves and properly disinfect the gloves upon removal. Gloves must be changed before touching a different player’s equipment.
9. Shared equipment [not baseballs] such as equipment borrowed for the game when a player either forgets or equipment becomes unusable shall be sanitized by the coach whenever the player is done with the equipment. Each equipment bag will be stocked with disinfecting wipes, gloves, and trash bags for sanitizing. Used wipes are to be immediately discarded in the trash bag; the trash bag is to be sealed and placed in the trash container at the end of each game.
10. All players and coaches shall sanitize hands using alcohol-based hand sanitizer at the end of each half inning.
11. During games spectators must remain out of all areas in use by players and stay a minimum of 6’ away from the playing field and player areas. Spectators shall maintain 6’ social distancing from any other spectator not in their immediate household.


Game Cancellations Due to Exposure Situations
The League reserves the right to cancel and/or reschedule game(s) due to a team being limited from playing due to quarantine or similarly related COVID-19 issues.  The League will make every effort to reschedule games but cannot guarantee the number of games being played by each team if a significant amount of time may be missed by a team.


Confidentiality/Privacy
Except for circumstance in which the League is legally required to report occurrences of communicable disease, the confidentiality of all medical conditions will be maintained in accordance with applicable law.  The individual’s name will not be shared unless such individual has provided express consent that his/her name may be shared with league membership.  When it becomes necessary to make notifications the notifications will be based on date, time, and team or activity basis maintaining the individual confidentiality.