To all:
Good news and bad news since our last update. Good news is that Surf Cup’s tournament has been rescheduled for the end of December!
Soccer Surf Cup Sports Postpones (Again) Surf Cup
“IT’S CLEAR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IS NOT READY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A LARGE SCALE EVENT LIKE SURF CUP.”
States the email announcement sent by Surf Cup Sports
Our coalition brought this issue to the forefront with our county and city health officials and they acted. I was gratified to see Dr. Wooten and her team respond quickly to our individual emails and phone calls, even on a weekend evening! (Can we take credit for this result? Maybe a little. J) There are numerous news stories of bad outcomes when youth travel tournaments return too soon (such as https://www.courant.com/sports/hc-sp-hockey-tournament-coronavirus-outbreak-investigation-20200818-gmqcboes7zg3hhypquyw4oj6am-story.html) We don’t want a repeat here.
Now for the bad news: this past weekend we saw a large lacrosse event take place on the fields with no masks and no physical distancing! It’s not soccer, but it is Surf Cup Soccer renting the fields for this event so the impact is the same. This type of activity is in clear violation of the state guidelines for youth sports which states in part:
“Outdoor and indoor sporting events, assemblies, and other activities that require close contact or that would promote congregating are not permitted at this time. For example, tournaments, events, or competitions, regardless of whether teams are from the same school or from different schools, counties, or states are not permitted at this time.
Youth sports and physical education are permitted only when the following can be maintained: (1) physical distancing of at least six feet; and (2) a stable cohort, such as a class, that limits the risks of transmission (see CDC Guidance on Schools and Cohorting). Activities should take place outside to the maximum extent practicable.”
(The complete State Guidance for Youth Sports can be viewed at https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-youth-sports--en.pdf)
We now have a quick and easy way to report these incidents to the San Diego county health compliance team and I urge each of you to do so when you see these events. Each report is taken seriously and recorded. It will help our cause both now, and in the future, for individuals to make these calls. You can call or email. Surprisingly, the phones are manned, even on the weekends, and they will take your report without asking you to identify yourself. Clearly, compliance to our local health orders are being taken seriously! Here is the contact info:
To report businesses or organizations that are open and have been ordered to close, or otherwise not following health order, call (858) 694-2900 or email: SafeReopeningComplianceTeam@sdcounty.ca.gov
Thanks to all of you for your continued efforts to preserve our Polo Fields neighborhood.