Posted June 14, 2021

Alberta entered Stage 2 on June 10. If Albertans continue doing their part, restrictions could be lifted by late June or early July.  Members should be aware of Volleyball Alberta’s Masking Guidelines.  The following Stage 2 restrictions apply provincewide.

Sport and Recreation Activities

All indoor and outdoor sport and recreation activities are permitted provincewide, including:

• Team sports
• Group practices or training
• Games, competitions and league play

Physical distancing is not required for athletes during game play or sports practice but is required outside of play/practice.  During an indoor sport, performance or recreational activity, a coach, instructor, or trainer must maintain at least two meters physical distance from any persons being guided or instructed, unless doing so inhibits the guidance or instruction being provided.

Masks are required for indoor sports that are primarily low-intensity physical activities (bowling).  Masks are still required when not engaging in the sport activity, such as entering or exiting the facility or changing in locker rooms.

Spectators

Spectators can attend indoor and outdoor physical activities and performances:

• 1/3 venue capacity for indoor activities (arenas, theatres) and for outdoor fixed-seated (grandstand) events
• 150 people maximum for non-fixed seated events (this limit includes spectators, athletes/performers, production teams, referees and coaches)
• 2 metres of physical distancing must be maintained at all times

Indoor Fitness and Recreation Facilities

Indoor recreation facilities (such as arenas, indoor wave pools, children play centres, bowling alleys and rec centres) can open at 1/3 of fire code occupancy.

Gyms and fitness studios can open for solo and drop-in activities, one-on-one training, and indoor fitness classes.

Additional safety measures include:

• 3 metres of physical distancing must be maintained at all times.
• Indoor fitness spaces, including spaces for group fitness classes, are limited to the number of people able to fit in the space while maintaining 3 metre distance from each other at all times.
• Pools, steam rooms, saunas, and hot tubs within a fitness facility may operate at one-third capacity (2 metre distance between households).
• Trainers and instructors may be able to come within 3 metres distance of a client/participant for brief moments to correct form or help demonstrate. However, they must be masked during the interaction and sanitize hands before and after.
• Masking is:

1. No longer required for exercise but is strongly encouraged for all participants, especially during indoor exercise classes or in small spaces with limited ventilation.
2. Still required when not engaging in the fitness activity, such as while moving between fitness equipment or changing in locker rooms.

Outdoor Fitness and Recreation Facilities

Outdoor fitness classes and groups are allowed with no capacity limits, as long as 2 metres distance is maintained between members of different households at all times.

Outdoor recreation facilities can open with no capacity limits, but 2 metres distance must be maintained between members of different households. Examples include: outdoor pools and spray parks, golf courses, tennis and pickleball courts, croquet pitches, running and bicycle tracks, velodromes.

Youth Day and Overnight Camps

Camps can operate with cohorts of 50 or fewer participants.

• Cohort is a group of participants and staff who stay together for duration of camp.
• Camps can have multiple cohorts (no capacity limit) but cohorts must be separated at all times, including dining and activities.
• Participants should reside in the same accommodation as the rest of their cohort for the duration of their stay (no rotating)

Masks are required in all communal indoor areas, but not in the accommodation area.

School Activities

Students may participate in physical, performance and recreation activities as part of their education program inside a school building or at an outdoor location, with no restrictions.

Professional Sport Organizations

Professional sport organizations that have received an exemption can continue, as long as protocols are strictly followed.