COVID-19 UPDATES

Friday 7th of August 2020 5:00 pm

Basketball NSW continues to work closely with Basketball Australia, NSW Office of Sport, NSW Health and other government agencies as we plan for the full return of basketball in NSW.

Our localised plan for the return of basketball in NSW is in line with the Federal Governments National Principals for the Resumption of Sport, the AIS Framework for Rebooting Sport in a Covid-19 Environment with Basketball Australia’s Return to Basketball Guidelines providing a strong reference point.

We continue to work with Basketball Australia and the other Basketball States and Territories to develop practical working guides for associations to use in enabling basketball activities to be run as soon as possible, we encourage associations to also read Social Distancing & Hygiene Considerations for Basketball and Sport Activities in a Stadium.

We’re all in this together. Let’s be safe and let’s support each other!

BASKETBALL IN NSW FROM JULY 1 2020

The NSW State Government has released the Public Health (COVID-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement) Order (No 4) 2020.  The essence of this is that basketball can operate under close to normal conditions but with appropriate safeguards in place.

This means:
→ Develop and execute a Covid-19 Safety Plan.
→ Compy with all social distancing rules.
→ Comply with the 4Sqm rule.
→ Comply with good hygiene practices limiting the risk of transmission.
→ Work closely with stadium operators and user groups.

Please take a conservative view in relation to your activities by observing the guidelines above and taking sensible precautions to protect the health of all of us.

Please liaise with your local basketball association for further updates to the activities they run. 

LATEST COVID-19 CASE LOCATIONS IN NSW
Confirmed COVID-19 cases can be found by visiting the NSW Government website, the NSW Government updates their page if further locations have been identified, we recommend that you check their page regularly.

No NSW Affiliated Association has been listed as a confirmed Covid-19 hotspot.

BASKETBALL NSW EVENTS

Basketball NSW events are set to GREEN, with the exception of the ones listed below.

Basketball NSW has been contacted by Newcastle Basketball after they made the decision to close the stadium doors for this weekend, and will re-open on Monday.  This has resulted in the Spalding Waratah Senior League games scheduled to be played at the Newcastle Basketball Stadium on the 8th & 9th of August to be postponed.

Basketball NSW wishes to advise that Newcastle Basketball has not been notified to any of their members testing positive to the Coronavirus. Their decision, to which we support is a precautionary measure to keep our basketball community safe.

At 6 pm each Wednesday, Basketball NSW will update this section of our website advising our community if any BNSW events (includes Spalding Waratah Junior and Senior Leagues, High-Performance Programs) have been cancelled or likely to be cancelled subject to NSW Government rulings. 

In making this decision we are factoring in the following; stadium location, stadium capacity, stadium availability, NSW travel restrictions, known covid-19 hotspots, team/participant health, biosafety officer(s) availability, bio measures available at the stadium, that the hosting association has submitted and is an approved as a COVID safe business.

→ GREEN (indicates we are proceeding as planned)
→ AMBER (the BNSW event is in doubt and that we are working with the NSW Government in making the decision)
→ RED (the BNSW event is cancelled)

NEW NSW COVID-19 HOTSPOTS
There are new, active COVID-19 cases in NSW.  We are encouraging our community to self monitor the locations of the NSW COVID-19 hotspots and get tested if you have visited one of the locations.

(NEW) The NSW Government has added a new section to the COVID-19 hotspots, titled ‘Increase testing and Surveillance’, we are asking our community to include this section as part of their overall self-monitoring prior to making a decision to participate or attending a basketball stadium in NSW.

In addition to the NSW Government directions, we are asking our community if you have visited one of these locations on the dates/time specified, that as a precautionary measure and to protect basketball in NSW from being shut down from the NSW Government, that you self exclude from participating in a Basketball NSW event until after the 14-day window has passed.

MINIMISING SPECTATORS AT COMMUNITY SPORT
For all Basketball NSW events as a precautionary measure, we are capping spectators for all junior and senior events to a maximum of 1 spectator per participant is allowed.

(NEW) → 8/9 August 2020 Spalding Waratah 2 Youth Men round at Minto – there are to be NO spectators for this round.

As per the request of the NSW Government for community sport to comply with the Public health order, for junior sports, only one parent/carer to accompany their child to the community sporting activity for the purpose of supervision.

General Admission tickets are discouraged from being sold at this time, this is due to the NSW Governments request that sport takes all reasonable steps to minimise the number of spectators attending community sporting events and to align with Basketball NSW updated directive during this Covid-19 pandemic response to reducing the risk of community transmissions of the virus. 

TRAVEL WITHIN NSW
There are currently no restrictions in place on the distance that a resident of NSW may travel.

NSW-Victoria border restrictions

The NSW Government has temporarily closed the NSW-Victoria border‬. Under the new public health order, anyone who has been in Victoria within the last 14 days must not enter NSW except in special circumstances. 

Learn more about NSW border restrictions.

(NEW) FACE MASKS
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant strongly recommends wearing a mask:

• if it is hard to maintain 1.5 metres of physical distance from others

• on public transport

• in supermarkets and shops

• in places of worship

• in indoor venues with a higher risk of transmission, where practical

• if working in cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs and other venues with a higher risk of transmission.

Wearing a mask in any of these settings is not mandatory but is highly recommended, especially in areas where there has been community transmission.

Useful Links

→Sport Australia Return to Sport – toolkit

The NSW Government has enacted several Public Health Orders which directly impact on the Sport and Active Recreation Sector. Public Health (COVID-19 Restrictions on Gathering and Movement) Order (No 4) 2020.

→Australian Government Covid-19 website

→Australian Department of Health Covid-19 at a glance

→Basketball Australia Covid-19 Hub 

→NSW Government Covid-19 website

→NSW Office of Sport Covid-19 website

The Office of Local Government has developed a local government FAQs document which includes information relating to sport and recreation activities and venues.

→World Health Organisation Covid-19 website

→Basketball Australia partner Etrainu ‘The Covid-19 Course’ (NEW)

→World Health Organisation Covid-19 Dashboard