THE Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) on Monday revealed that it has completed the crafting of the guidelines for the resumption of collegiate sports training in the country and is ready to submit these to the government’s coronavirus task force for evaluation and then implementation.
In an online press conference, the CHEd, led by Chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III, shared that after weeks of work and collaboration with various stakeholders, the technical working group it formed has come up with the guidelines which higher education institutions (HEIs) can take cue from as they move to resume athletic training amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. De Vera underscored that the process of coming up with the guidelines was tedious as they “approached it differently” considering the large number of student-athletes, organizations and sports involved.
“The process [of coming up with the guidelines] was exhaustive. And we will bring these to the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) for notation and then after release,” Mr. De Vera said.
He went on to say that once the HEIs receive the approved guidelines, it is now up to them if they want to use the directives and that these would not be forced to the schools.
Part of the general guidelines, collegiate training in school and off-court premises is still prohibited in Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ ) areas.
Online or virtual training is still encouraged and the preferred form of modality, but on campus stay-in training is allowed in General Community Quarantine and Modified General Community Quarantine areas but under strict health and safety monitoring.
HEIs is tasked to administer appropriate engineering and administrative controls as directed by guidelines set by the Department of Health (DoH) on risk-based public health standards for coronavirus mitigation.
Intra-zonal and inter-zonal movements, which are considered essential travel, are still subject to the approval of the local government unit and dependent on the quarantine setup of the area.
IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES
The implementing guidelines, meanwhile, were divided into four sections, namely; before resumption; before conduct of training; during conduct of training; and illness protocol.
Before resumption, HEIs must submit to CHEd a Collegiate Training Activities’ Certificate of Compliance duly signed by their athletic director and signed by their president.
The certificate must attest, among others, that the HEI intends to resume training and it has athletes who will represent or intend to represent the school in inter-school competitions. The HEI must also provide the list of student athletes seven days prior to the start of the activity.
HEIs are expected to adhere to institutional, local, and national rules and regulations in relation to coronavirus mitigation.
Student-athletes, too, are required to submit health declaration forms and parents or guardians’ consent for those between the ages of 18 and 21. Those under 18 are only allowed to participate in virtual training.
Before the training, HEIs are encouraged to form a task force that would oversee the overall conduct of the activities. The schools must ensure adequate sanitization and disinfection equipment and facilities, proper transportation and lodging, among others.
During the conduct of the training, venues must be disinfected regularly and only student-athletes and personnel included in the document submitted to the CHEd are allowed inside.
Training is limited to body conditioning and no contact drills.
The CHEd said contact training may be allowed in the new normal, but the supplemental guidelines for it will be released in due time.
In case of swab testing, upon the initiative of the HEI, it must be aligned with the guidelines set by the DoH.
Wearing of masks and face shields for coaches during training is required.
Illness protocol, meanwhile, includes outright suspension of training activities upon confirmation of a positive case with all close contacts notified and required to undergo 14-day quarantine with specific instructions from health and safety officers of the school.
Failure to abide by the guidelines, the CHEd said, is considered a violation and carries corresponding sanction ranging from written reprimand to suspension of the conduct of its collegiate training depending on the severity of the violation.
Mr. De Vera said they are taking it one step at a time and focusing on training resumption first, leaving the return of sports competitions for another discussion. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
