The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services has updated its COVID-19 guidelines for youth sports within the city.
Spectators are not required to wear a mask in an outdoor setting with less than 5,000 people, but they are still recommended. If more than 5,000 people are present at an outdoor sporting event, all spectators and employees must wear a mask, except when they are actively eating and drinking.
Masks must be worn by athletes playing indoors at all times. When playing outdoor sports where social distancing is not possible, masks must also be worn at all times.
Coaches, referees and officials who work in outdoor sports where social distancing isn’t possible should wear masks at all times, regardless of vaccination status.
All eligible athletes and staff on youth sports teams are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.
When an outbreak of four or more COVID-19 infections occurs on any youth sports team, the team must suspend all its activities for one week. As long as all quarantine and isolation guidelines are followed by athletes, individual athletes can still practice skill building and conditioning by themselves.
The policies on youth sports for fully vaccinated people has been updated to now apply to people with up-to-date vaccines, which means those who are fully vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
The City’s updated quarantine order allows fully vaccinated workers (other than those who work in healthcare) to avoid quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 if they meet the following criteria, regardless of if they’ve received a booster shot already:
- Shows no symptoms of COVID-19 (asymptomatic)
- Monitors themselves for any new symptoms that may appear for 10 days after being exposed to COVID-19
- Wears a well-fitting mask when around others either indoors or outdoors for 10 days after being exposed to the virus (surgical-type or KN95/N95 respirator masks are recommended)
- Strictly follows health guidelines, including avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated indoor spaces, maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others and frequent handwashing.
