Please see below correspondence from FNSW regarding the latest NSW Health restrictions and how they impact football until next Thursday 1 July (at this stage).
If there are any further competition specific implications, clubs will be contacted by the FSC Competition Manager’s directly.
Subject: COVID-19 message – Football NSW message to Associations regarding new restrictions
Dear Associations,
Last night the NSW Government released their updated Public Health Order (PHO) – linked here.
There are restrictions that will apply to all of Greater Sydney, as defined in the map linked here: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/greater-sydney#greater-sydney-map
The key message is that clubs can continue to conduct football activities but that existing COVID-19 Safety Plans be reviewed and that steps are taken to ensure compliance with rules around masks, movement and social distancing.
Masks:
Anyone attending football matches or training must wear a mask.
People may remove their mask only for strenuous physical exercise (e.g. to warm up, train, play or referee), or when eating or drinking, and must put their masks back on at all other times, including spectators, coaches, managers, substitutes etc.
Similar to earlier orders, there are other exemptions that apply including for children under 12, people with autism or intellectual disabilities and other health conditions.
More detail is available here: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/public-health-orders.aspx#face-coverings
Movement:
There are also restrictions on movement that people may be broadly aware of, but that we can outline in some more detail.
People who either live or work in seven named LGAs (Bayside, City of Sydney, Canada Bay, Inner West, Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra) may not leave the Metropolitan area (as defined in the linked map: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/greater-sydney#metropolitan-sydney-map) without a “reasonable excuse” (see Schedule 1 of the PHO).
The practical meaning of this as it affects football is that if you live or work in one of these areas, you cannot play football outside of the Metropolitan area. This has particular impacts on Associations whose boundaries cross the border of Metropolitan Sydney as defined by the State Government.
There is no restriction on people entering Metropolitan Sydney from outside that area (so someone can come from the Blue Mountains to play football in Penrith, for example).
Social distancing:
Capacity restrictions now apply so that spaces must have no more than one person per 4 metres squared, and masking also applies.
Compliant use of change rooms is now likely to be impractical, therefore there will be no use of change rooms.
Dugouts can only be used with appropriate social distancing.
We are confident that our football community will come together to ensure that we comply with these orders.
Association and club officials are not law enforcement, but we trust that everyone from players to officials to spectators will be mindful of their responsibility to our community more broadly and does the right thing.
Wear your mask, practice social distancing, and if you’re unwell, get tested and then stay home.
