Since the lockdowns from the Covid-19 pandemic began in March of 2020, all indoor and outdoor youth sports were paused to ensure the health and safety of participants. It was not until last month that all outdoor youth sports could continue for counties with new cases at fourteen or fewer per one hundred thousand people. Outdoor sports are allowed to be conducted only with adherence to strict guidelines such as mandatory mask wearing for those not in the game, no sharing equipment, no indoor activities, etc. Individuals over the age of 13 who participate in “close contact” sports, such as football and rugby, are also required to undergo weekly testing.

Indoor youth sports in California have been a higher point of contention between state officials and youth sports organizations. The state’s hesitancy stemmed from increased chance of spread indoors while in close proximity, and rising cases throughout the fall and winter. This prompted two high school students to bring a lawsuit in an attempt to resume youth sports. On March 4, 2021, the students and the State of California reached a settlement that will allow indoor youth sports to continue throughout the state. However, youth sports programs will need to meet a variety of requirements before they can resume.

As with outdoor sports, counties may restart indoor youth sports when Covid-19 cases fall to fourteen or fewer new cases per one hundred thousand people. The settlement also adopts the same testing requirements as many outdoor sports, specifically weekly testing and results within forty-eight hours of competition. Tests will continue to be administered until county Covid-19 cases reach a particular number that varies depending on the sport. For example, testing basketball players will be required until the county reaches less than one new case per one hundred thousand people.

With a steep decline in Covid-19 cases throughout the state, most counties already meet these requirements. However, county health departments may choose to impose stricter standards for the resumption of programs. Updated guidelines on how to conduct indoor youth sports were released by the California Department of Public Health, attached here:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/outdoor-indoor-recreational-sports.aspx

For any questions regarding the settlement and its implications, please contact Douglas L. White at doug@whitebrennerllp.com, Nubia Goldstein at nubia@whitebrennerllp.com, or the White Brenner LLP office at (916) 468-0950.