LEBANON YOUTH BASEBALL
COVID-19 SAFETY POLICY
Adopted July 1, 2020
This is version 3 with additional guidelines as directed from the state of Ohio.
Lebanon Youth Baseball will follow the directives and best practices for play from the Centers for Disease Control, the office of the Governor of the state of Ohio, Ohio Department of Health, the Warren County Board of Health, the city of Lebanon, USA Baseball, Little League Baseball International, Midwest Ohio Baseball League and Southwest Ohio Baseball League.
ALL TEAMS of Lebanon Youth Baseball (Lebanon Little League, LYB Select Teams LYNX and Warriors) their families, guest and opposing teams will be asked to follow these guidelines to allow LYB to create as safe an environment to play the game of baseball.
GENERAL PRACTICES OF GOOD HEALTH
1. Parents/Guardians will be responsible for the well-being of their children. If the parent/guardian or your child has had a fever or symptoms of illness, please DO NOT bring them to participate in Lebanon Youth Baseball activities.
* Per the CDC, symptoms include cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headaches, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
2.Please alert your coaches on your Medical Information Form for any allergies of trees, flowers, plants, and cleaning agents or asthma.
3. Protective Mask are recommended or as required by state of Ohio.
4. Keep hands away from face and eyes.
5. Provide a personal beverage bottle (labeled with your name) for water/sports beverage.
6. Provide your own personal towel
7. Provide your own personal hand sanitizer.
8. Healthy Practices: All players and coaches should practice healthy habits including adequate hydration to keep mucous membranes moist, consume a varied, vitamin-rich diet with sufficient vegetables and fruits, and get adequate sleep.
LEBANON YOUTH BASEBALL WILL:
1. Make sure a COVID-19 advisory sign with updated regulations is at each park/field
2. Ensure there is proper markings for TEAM space area and spectator area.
3. A board member or volunteer representative of LYB will be available or present at all fields or parks when the facilities are in use.
FIELD RULES AT COLONIAL PARK EAST, NORTH AND WEST; ROBERTS FIELD; RUNYAN FIELD; LEBANON CITY SCHOOL ATHLETIC FIELDS
Lebanon Youth Baseball will follow the six-foot social distancing guidelines as set forth by the CDC and the state of Ohio. The number of spectators to attend the game is subject to state of Ohio and/or city of Lebanon guidelines.
A sign will be place at each park entrance or field with updated COVID-19 guidelines to be followed during Lebanon Youth Baseball on-field team activity.
Once a player has arrived at the designated field, he must go immediately to the designated TEAM area. The player may only leave the TEAM space to use the bathroom or go to sit with their immediate family. Spectators (family, friends, person attending game) may not enter the team space or be within ten feet of the team space.
The player must leave the TEAM space at the conclusion of the team activity. TEAM Space is defined as the dugout, the designated marked around the dugout for the TEAM and the playing field.
Each team will have designated area for spectators. Spectators must stay on their teams’ side around the field with proper six-foot social distancing. Players ARE PERMITTED to sit with their immediate family. Friends and other spectators MUST be at least six feet from a family when the player is sitting with the family while the team activity is in session.
Spectators must be a minimum six feet from the fence. Spectators are not permitted directly behind the backstop.
It is recommended that spectators at the field of play wear face mask coverings.
Each team will have an individual space for players to distance themselves and their personal bags. The personal equipment space will be a minimum of six feet distanced.
ONLY 1 person at a time will be permitted in the East Restroom. One parent/guardian will be permitted in to the restroom with a child that needs assistance. The city of Lebanon will be keeping the restrooms cleaned at the start of each day. The restroom should have a spray bottle of disinfectant available in the restroom to spray down following use.
Port-o-lets may or may not be available. The city of Lebanon will make sure they are kept clean.
Players, coaches and spectators should practice proper hygiene, wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol), abstain from touching their face (mouth, eyes, or nose), and cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue and throw tissue in the trash.
Concession stand may be available in accordance to standards set forth by the Warren County Board of Health.
PRACTICES/ GAMES
Coaches pre practice/ game: Make sure that hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes are available in all dugouts. Remind players to use forearms, towel or wrist bands to wipe sweat not hands. PLEASE KEEP HANDS AWAY FROM THE FACE. Make sure ALL TEAM shared equipment is sanitized before practice/ game use.
It is recommended that equipment not be shared. If team equipment must be shared, it must be sanitized by a team coach. LYB will issue 2 sets of catcher’s equipment per team.
Before each TEAM activity, the coach must fill out a team roster attendance form. The daily roster form will need to be emailed to the LYB Safety Director. The form should be emailed to the LYB Safety Director at LYB[email protected]. This is for Lebanon Youth Baseball to be able to contact trace should a player become infected with the COVID-19.
Teams will have added area space behind or behind dugouts to give extra space for distancing while at bat. Players personal equipment bags will be spaced every six feet. This added TEAM space will be clearly defined space for the TEAM only.
Coaches are responsible for cleaning any team equipment (bats, catchers’ equipment, baseballs). PLAYERS MAY NOT CLEAN ANY EQUIPMENT OTHER THAN THEIR OWN.
All participants must stay in the “TEAM” Area unless given permission by a TEAM coach to use the bathroom or go to their immediate family.
No team shared water coolers, jugs or cooler chest are allowed in the TEAM space. ALL PLAYERS and coaches must have their own water/ sports beverage supply in a properly identified container.
Belongings should be used only by the individual athlete including, but not limited to water bottles, gloves, bats, hats, and other on- and off-field gear.
No touch rule – players should refrain from high fives, handshake lines, and other physical contact with teammates, opposing players, coaches, umpires, and fans
No Food, Sunflower seeds or gum permitted in the TEAM area.
Players and Coaches are required to sanitize their hands between innings.
It is recommended that Coaches wear a mask when not in the field of play.
Game baseballs will issued to team managers by the LYB Equipment manager. Each game ball will be given to the team manager individually wrapped.
During the game, teams are to follow the rules as provided by their governing body. (Little League, Midwest Ohio Baseball League or Southwest Ohio Baseball League, etc).
Please follow the guidelines of your governing organizations pitch count procedures.
Lebanon Youth Baseball will provide a minimum four (4) game balls for each game. Game balls will need to be disinfected every half inning or anytime the ball leaves the confines of the field. Each team will have two baseballs. The defensive team is responsible for wiping down the ball between innings with the provide disinfectant spray. The ball must sit for 3 minutes before being put back into play. Between innings, the pitcher will keep the ball once it has been cleaned. The umpire will not possess any game ball during the game.
Home plate umpire will call the game from six feet behind the pitcher on his throwing arm side o The home plate umpire will NOT be behind the plate.
Players equipment must remain at their personal equipment area at all times. Bats, gloves, hats, water bottles, and other game equipment is not permitted in the dugout. Catchers must keep the catcher’s equipment with their personal gear. Coaches may collect team catchers equipment following the game.
Following the game, the teams will line up on their respective baseline, maintaining a minimum of 6 feet from the other team and their team mates, face the opposing team and on the count of three, tip their caps to their opponents and say “GOOD GAME!”.
Following the post-game cap tip, players are to immediately go to their personal gear bag, pack and leave the dugout area. If a coach needs to speak to his team following the game, they may do so in an outside area outside of the playing field in an open space, adhering to safe social distance.
Coaches and players must make sure ALL trash is placed into a trash receptacle following the game or practice. Coaches must wipe down the metal benches in the dugout following the conclusion of game or practice.
Spectators must remain in their location until the players have cleared the TEAM area.
Please leave the park/field as soon as possible at the conclusion of the team activity.
SHOULD A PARTICIPANT OR FAMILY MEMBER BE DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19
The family should immediately isolate and seek medical care for any individual who develops symptoms.
The family should contact the Warren County Health District about suspected cases or exposure.
Following testing, the family should contact the Warren County Health Department to initiate appropriate care and tracing.
The family should notify Lebanon Youth Baseball about suspected cases or exposure by a participant who participates in a Lebanon Youth Baseball sanctioned game or practice. (Little League, or LYB Select Teams in SWOL, MWOBL, or representing LYB in a sanctioned baseball tournament.)
Lebanon Youth Baseball will report all suspected infections or exposures to the Warren County Health District.
Lebanon Youth Baseball will maintain a complete list of coaches, players, volunteers and concession employees present at each event to include the date, beginning and ending time of the event, plus name, address, and phone contact to be made available upon request from Warren County Health District.
IF TRACING CAN SUPPORT THAT THE COVID-19 INFECTION TOOK PLACE DURING A LEBANON YOUTH BASEBALL ACTIVITY, LEBANON YOUTH BASEBALL WILL PAUSE ORGANIZED TEAM ACTIVITY FOR FIVE DAYS AND SEEK GUIDANCE FROM THE WARREN COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ORGANIZED TEAM ACTIVITY. (Lebanon Little League and LYB Select Teams Lynx and Warriors)
RESPONSIBILITIES OF LEBANON YOUTH BASEBALL FIELD SUPERVISOR
A representative of Lebanon Youth Baseball will be available or present at the field of play when there is an on-field team activity scheduled. There will be one representative per facility (Colonial Park East, North, West, Roberts, Runyan, Lebanon City Schools Athletic fields).
The field supervisor MAY NOT be participating in an on-field team activity while performing the duties of the LYB field supervisor.
The field supervisor will be responsible for having the fields open for play.
Chalk, Chalk liners, bases and other necessary field equipment to ready the field for play is available.
Designated TEAM space is properly marked.
Make sure coaches have filled out the daily team roster.
Ensure that all coaches, players and spectators are following the guidelines as set forth by the LYB/ COVID-19 Safety Policy.
Make sure field/park is secured at end of play for the day.
THIS POLICY MAY BE CHANGED OR AMENDED BASED UPON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, THE STATE OF OHIO, THE CITY OF LEBANON, WARREN COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT, OR LEBANON YOUTH BASEBALL.
If amended, a new copy will be distributed to parents and coaches of LYB via e-mail. There will be a copy of the LYB COVID-19 Safety play located in the field box of each field of play.
The field supervisor will be responsible for having the fields open for play.
Chalk, Chalk liners, bases and other necessary field equipment to ready the field for play is available.
Designated TEAM space is properly marked.
Make sure coaches have filled out the daily team roster.
Ensure that all coaches, players and spectators are following the guidelines as set forth by the LYB/ COVID-19 Safety Policy.
Make sure field/park is secured at end of play for the day.
THIS POLICY MAY BE CHANGED OR AMENDED BASED UPON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, THE STATE OF OHIO, THE CITY OF LEBANON, WARREN COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT, OR LEBANON YOUTH BASEBALL.
If amended, a new copy will be distributed to parents and coaches of LYB via e-mail. There will be a copy of the LYB COVID-19 Safety play located in the field box of each field of play.