CALIFORNIA NEWS
Baseball, Softball, Football, Water Polo Can Resume Editor’s note: Scots Valley Little League is working on a safety plan for COVID-19 as part of preparing for a possible Spring 2021 season. Details of the COVID-19 safety plan will be posted at https://www.scottsvalleyll.org/ when it becomes available. ••• n Feb. 19, the California Department of Public Health released updated guidance for youth and recreational adult sports, which allows high-contact and moderate-contact sport competitions to resume outdoors in the Red Tier and Purple Tier with weekly COVID-19 testing required for football, rugby and water polo. The guidance applies to all organized youth and adult sports, including school and community-sponsored programs, and privately organized clubs and leagues. “With case rates and hospitalizations declining across California, we are allowing outdoor competition to resume, with modifications and steps to reduce risk, in counties where case rates are lower,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, CDPH
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director and state public health officer. “Youth sports are important to our children’s physical and mental health, and our public health approach has worked to balance those benefits against COVID-19 risks.” The guidance aims to giving communities guidelines on how to safely remain physically active while reducing virus transmission. Outdoor high-contact sports can be played in counties in the Purple or Red tier with a COVID case rate at or below 14 per 100,000. Santa Cruz County is in the Purple Tier, with a case rate of 8.6 per 100,000; the case rate has declined since Christmas Football, rugby and water polo are
10 / March 2021 / Scotts Valley Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
high-contact sports likely to be played unmasked, with close face-to-face contact exceeding 15 minutes. As a result, weekly testing is required for football, rugby and water polo players age 13 and over in counties with a case rate between 7 and 14 per 100,000. Weekly testing, antigen or PCR, is required for all players and coaches, with results available within 24 hours of competition. Outdoor moderate-contact sports, such as baseball, cheerleading and softball, can be played in these counties without testing. Teams must provide information regarding risk of transmission to all parents/guardians of minors partici-
pating, and each parent must sign an informed consent indicating their understanding and acknowledgement of the risks. Any teams playing in a less restrictive sports tier are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings, and practice physical distancing, hand hygiene and equipment sanitation. For details on examples of sports with different levels of contact and risk by tier, see https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/ outdoor-indoor-recreational-sports.aspx ••• For information on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visit www.covid19.ca.gov.
COMMUNITY BRIEFS Navy Officer Supports Weapons Seizure Near Somalia etty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Mannina, a native of Scotts Valley, is serving aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer, USS Winston S. Churchill, in the Indian Ocean. According to a recent Navy news release, “The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill seized illicit shipments of weapons and weapons components from two stateless dhows during a maritime s e c u r i t y operation in international waters off Anthony Mannina the coast of Somalia, Feb. 11-12. The cache of weapons consisted of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and crew served weapons. Other weapon components included barrels, stocks, optical scopes and weapon systems.” “I am incredibly proud to serve in operations such as this to help support freedom throughout the world,” said Mannina. The seizure of the illicit weapons was conducted as part of the U.S. Navy’s regular maritime security operations in the region. These routine patrols are performed to ensure the free flow of commerce for legitimate traffic and to disrupt the
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transport of illicit cargo that often funds terrorism and unlawful activity. ••• Call for Artists he Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center in Ben Lomond has conceived an online exhibit as a community space to process what happened to us during this unprecedented year. From bread-baking in lockdown to the CZU fire, and all the social, political, and economic tensions in between that left both our inner and outer landscapes forever changed, 2020 was grist for the mill of the soul. Now is the time to share your artistic expression of the 2020 experience. The deadline to submit is noon March 14. See the entry form at https://www.mountainartcenter.org/ The exhibit will be online March 17-April 17. ••• Santa Cruz Symphony Scholarship Deadline he Santa Cruz Symphony is accepting applications for the 2021 Mueller Scholarship Program with the deadline to apply being April 1. These scholarships will be used for “needy and deserving children” to pay for private lessons, youth ensembles, or youth music camperships. Individual grants usually range from $300-$1000. Music students who are under 17 as of July 1, 2021 and residents of Santa Cruz County are encouraged to apply. Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of financial need, a regular practice schedule, and a demonstrated commitment of at least one year with an orchestral instrument. Applications are at https://santacruz symphony.org/mueller-scholarships n
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