Pennridge Little League Families,

The latest COVID updates are below.  These are copies of two communications that were sent out this week.  If you should have any questions, feel free to email the COVID Committee. Thank you!

Communication #1 (Sent April 7th)

We hope that your baseball experience in PLL is off to a great start!  The purpose of this communication is to provide appropriate direction for all families when it comes to COVID-19 / health situations.

First and foremost, if your family has been impacted by the virus, we certainly hope all family members are well.  The virus has impacted many people in a variety of ways.  Beyond signing a COVID-19 waiver that you received from your head coach, we felt it to be imperative to inform the community of specific protocols that need to take place to ensure the safety of ALL Pennridge Little League families.  PLL has developed guidelines (similar to the CDC and BCHD) to try to enforce player safety.  There are specific protocols that need to be adhered to when it comes to testing, return to play, etc.…

• If your child is not feeling well, PLEASE DO NOT send him/her to a PLL event (practice, scrimmage, or game).  Missing an event is much better than the possibility of shutting down an entire team.  If one person does not follow the appropriate protocols, it can impact their teammates, possibly the entire team, and other teams they are scheduled to play.  Every decision matters.
• If you receive communication from the school district that your child is a “close contact”, you must inform the committee and your child’s head coach.  A “modified quarantine” does NOT allow your child to play in PLL events.  Again, please reach out to the right people for direction.
• If any family member tests positive for the virus, which would make your child a “close contact” within the same household, you must contact the PLL Covid committee immediately.  Again, this committee will assist you throughout the process to determine a return to play date.
• Last but not least, if your child tests positive for the virus, he/she will miss 10 days from the onset of symptoms.

As parents and guardians, we understand that you want to enjoy your experience at the complexes as well.  Watching your children play brings enjoyment.  However, you need to do your part as well.  Please keep the bleacher areas cleared for the players.  This way the players can socially distance and limit our “close contact” potential.  We ask the adults to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets to utilize for seating.

Once again, if your child develops symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, please contact your child’s head coach and PLL COVID Committee.  People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.  The chart below gives you some guidance when it comes to a possible Covid-19 infection.

Respectfully from the PLL Covid-19 Committee,

Frank Sica ([email protected]), Greg Wimmer ([email protected]) & Matt Croyle ([email protected])

Communication #2 (Sent April 11th)

We hope your child has had an enjoyable start to the 2021 baseball season.  This season has certainly come with a lot of excitement.  It has also brought its fair share of questions and concerns.  We are sure families are hoping for baseball to bring back a sense of “normalcy” to our community.  While it brings enjoyment to watch our children, we also understand the concern it may bring to others due to the Covid-19 virus.

We wanted to provide an update to our PLL community about the reported positive cases and close contact situations we have had up to this point (4-11-21).  At this moment, we have had 12 “incidents” that have required the league’s involvement.  These incidents range from positive cases from players, parents/guardians/volunteers, and close contact situations.  According to our information, we haven’t had a “spread” of Covid within a team. 

• 4 Player Positive Cases
• 3 Coach/Volunteer Positive Cases
• 2 Player Close Contact Situations
• 3 Coach/Volunteer Close Contact Situations

Positive cases are not assumed, we receive information from the people directly involved after they receive their test results.  Close contacts are reported to the league by families typically after a school situation.  In addition, if/when we have a positive situation as a league, we assist in determining if a player/volunteer meets the close contact guidelines (less than 6ft for 15 minutes or greater).

We currently have 375 baseball players within PLL.  Obviously, these players come from households and schools that have more people that can impact our “numbers”.  With that stated, we want to have full transparency to our community about these cases so you, our community, know all the details.

We continue to ask all families to be mindful of their, and their child’s, symptoms prior to attending a practice / game.  We have reiterated with our coaches that teams should practice appropriate social distancing to the best of their ability.  Mask wearing continues to be an appropriate option for players, coaches, and spectators.  Lastly, coaches are asked to utilize the bleachers, at each field, next to the dugouts, to distance the players during games and practices.

From county to county you may notice different requirements.  Some counties require masks during sporting events while others do not.

If any of these protocols make you uneasy and you feel your child’s health is in jeopardy, please reach out to a PLL Board Member to discuss your concerns and your child’s future involvement within the league.

We want to continue to provide our community a safe and fun outlet for our children during this pandemic.  We are trying our best to have full transparency, provide an opportunity for kids to play, and to keep children safe at the same time.

Respectfully,

PLL Covid Committee and PLL Executive Board

www.pennridgell.org

If you have any questions, you can confidentially reach out to the COVID Committee via email.