AUS announces health and safety policies for 2021-22 season

(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport is announcing conference-wide health and safety policies which will take effect at the beginning of this 2021-22 season.

Given the scope of restrictions AUS student-athletes will be subject to both on their own campuses, while travelling to other AUS member campuses and when crossing provincial borders, AUS is seeking to provide its participants with a single, overarching directive for the sake of clarity, risk mitigation, community responsibility and leadership.

The objective of unified, conference-wide policies applying to AUS student-athletes, coaches and team staff is to address the remaining gaps and discrepancies which exist between institutional policies across the region.

The conference is seeking to have all individuals setting foot on the field of play (including AUS student-athletes, coaches, team staff, officials, minor officials and game-day staff) be fully vaccinated. To achieve this objective, the following policies will apply:

1. For regular season competition, beginning Sept. 10, 2021, all individuals setting foot on the field of play (including AUS student-athletes, coaches, team staff, officials, minor officials and game-day staff) must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to be eligible to participate in AUS-sanctioned competition. Those who are within 14 days post their second dose may participate only if they provide proof of a negative rapid test result on the day before and must provide proof of a negative rapid test result within 48 hours of the game/meet/competition. Up to Oct. 1, 2021, those who have a single dose of a double-dose vaccine and are waiting for a second dose, may participate only if they provide proof of a negative rapid test result on the day before and must provide proof of a negative rapid test result within 48 hours of the game/meet/competition.
2. For exhibition competition events only, beginning Sept. 10, 2021 and until further notice, all individuals setting foot on the field of play (including AUS student-athletes, coaches, team staff, officials, minor officials and game-day staff) must be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to be eligible to participate in AUS-sanctioned competition. Those who are within 14 days post their second dose or have a single dose of a double-dose vaccine and are waiting for a second dose, may participate only if they provide proof of a negative rapid test result on the day before and must provide proof of a negative rapid test result within 48 hours of competition.
3. Those with approved vaccination exemptions for medical or human-rights based reasons will be subject to a regular minimum twice weekly COVID-19 testing requirement in addition to the pre- and post-competition testing requirements outlined above.
4. For all AUS-sanctioned events held indoors, beginning Sept. 10, 2021 and until further notice, the wearing of masks is required for all spectators unless actively consuming food or beverage while seated. This will apply regardless of whether or not the wearing of masks is required by the provincial public health authority in the host institution’s region.

These requirements will be administered at the institutional level, following the existing or forthcoming institutional process. Institutions are at liberty to enforce more restrictive public health measures on their student-athletes and staff participating in AUS-sponsored competitions, or on spectators attending AUS events at their venues.

These policies were developed from recommendations from the conference’s management council which were supported and approved by the AUS Board of Directors.

“After having missed an entire season of competition, we are thrilled to finally see our student-athletes returning to the field of play,” said AUS executive director Phil Currie. “As our communities adjust to living with COVID-19, we feel a responsibility to do everything within our power to protect the health of our student-athletes, coaching staff, fans and other stakeholders. We’re confident these measures are the right ones to take to ensure the safety of our participants and our communities.”

The AUS will continue to monitor provincial public health directives and guidelines across the Atlantic region as it works to ensure the health and safety of everyone participating in AUS sponsored events and activities.