On May 4th, the Board of Directors discussed the league's Return to Play Guidelines and voted unanimously to uphold the league's social distancing and mask policy, consistent with Washington State Sporting Activities COVID-19 Guidelines. We updated the safety guidelines and COVID-19 rules found on our website. Please refer to our Safety page and our new COVID-19 page for details.
This week the CDC put out new guidelines for mask-wearing and Governor Inslee announced a goal of fully opening up the state by the end of June. Many of you are wondering about the impact this has on Mukilteo Little League. The answer is that there are no immediate changes to Mukilteo Little League policies. Snohomish County remains in Phase 3, and the state's guidelines for youth sports have not changed. Additionally, Snohomish County Parks and Mukilteo School District have also not changed their policies. Despite the ever-changing CDC guidelines about the use of masks and the increasing number of people who are vaccinated, we operate under agreements with the county and school district and are therefore contractually obligated to follow their guidelines.
Mukilteo Little League is all about kids. Vaccinations for kids ages 12-15 just became available, and younger children are still not eligible for the COVID vaccine. Not all adults have been vaccinated. We're here to provide a safe, fun environment in which they can play ball and be with their friends. Kids need sports activities more than ever these days, and we want to do everything we can to keep our kids safe. Kids are currently the most at risk and concern has been raised about the ever-increasing COVID-19 infection rates in the youth population.
Per our policies, all kids must wear masks at practices and in the dugouts while not on the field in games. Coaches, umpires and volunteers are required to wear masks at all times. We ask that parents and spectators wear masks and socially distance while at the ballpark and on school grounds.
If a player or league volunteer has tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please notify your team manager and follow all Snohomish Health District (SHD) guidelines which can be found on the SHD website via the following links: https://www.snohd.org/544/Exposure-to-COVID-19 and https://www.snohd.org/545/If-you-get-COVID-19.
Mukilteo Little League is taking a thoughtful approach during this time of transition, as it has throughout the pandemic. We will continue to monitor the situation and look to the state, county and school district for updated guidance, and make adjustments to our policies as needed.