Dear Members,
This has obviously been a very unprecedented time for the citizens of not only Alberta but Canada and the rest of the world over the last number of days. There has been an overwhelming amount of information thrown out to the public in the last few days which for the majority of us has no doubt been very difficult to digest. As many of you have probably already heard, Karate Alberta was the local organizer for the Karate Canada Senior National Championships & Olympic Qualifying Event before it was cancelled last week due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given everything that is happening in the community that decision was the correct decision to make with the health & safety of all participants paramount in mind.
With all of this in mind Karate Alberta would like to make all of our dojos and all of our members know the following.
Events: Tournaments, Alberta Team Events, Seminars, Coach and Officials Clinics
Karate Alberta will not be sanctioning any tournament events in the province for member dojos for the remainder of March up until at least March 30th at the earliest. All provincial team training during that period is also suspended. Any tournaments or events that have already been sanctioned must meet all Alberta Health Guidelines for events and gatherings (see link below) before they are held. Karate Alberta is recommending that any and all currently sanctioned events that fall within the above time period be postponed or cancelled. Sanctioned events for the purpose of this recommendation include: tournaments, clinics, conferences and seminars.
Training: Regular training
Our recommendation is that all dojos halt all training. Dojos wishing to continue with ongoing training are not necessarily being restricted to do so by any current Alberta Health guidelines or recommendations (depending on your training numbers) – but only by their local communities decision to either close or keep open public facilities. That being said, with last night’s closure of all public K-12 schools, day cares and most municipal recreation facilities we would ask all member clubs to strongly consider postponing all programming. If clubs in private facilities are able to and wish to continue with their training we would recommend that you only do so by eliminating all student or instructor physical contact being mindful of the recommended social-distance of 1-2m. We would also recommend looking at the hygiene standards you are able to maintain inside your dojo to see if they meet Alberta Health guidelines as they relate to COVID-19 and if you use a third-party to clean your dojo please ask to ensure that they have a pandemic risk management procedure in place and can meet Alberta Health Standards.
If your dojo does not feel that this is possible or that they are not equipped to adjust programming as it relates to recommendations around social distancing or the revised more stringent hygiene guidelines we would strongly recommend that you postpone any and all forms of training for the time being.
Please note that we also recommend to all of our members to adopt the recent Alberta Health Guidelines that direct all Albertans returning from any foreign country to self-isolate for 14 days. Please understand that this means if any of your dojo’s member families decide to still travel out of the country during any period of this pandemic they should be told to self-isolate upon their return for a full 14-days after. Both Alberta & Canada Health are recommending no International travel for anyone at this time unless absolutely necessary. This does means if you are currently keeping your dojo open and have not been told to close in your district and you have members still deciding to travel during this period that they should not be allowed to attend your training for at least 14 days upon their return.
Information: To inform members of your own dojos
Wash your hands – it cannot be stated often enough as hand washing, not touching your mouth or face and general good hygiene is the most effective course of action in combating the spread of this virus.
If you have not already done so and are considering continuing to train you should be indicating to all members inside your own organization or club the following and posting the same:
Before you come to our club: as a student for training; as a parent before sitting in at our training sessions; before visiting our office; attending any club function or event – consider the following:
- Do you have a fever, new onset of cough, or difficulty breathing?
- Have you or anyone in your home traveled to China, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Northern Italy, Singapore or South Korea in the last 14 days?
- Have you been in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed or is under investigation with COVID-19 virus?
- Have you recently returned from outside of Canada?
If you answered YES to any of these questions:
Do not attend a practice session or any club function (practice, viewing from the stands, travel to a competition, officiating, etc.).
If you answered YES to question 1 (immediately above), please call Health Link 811 – the Alberta government.
Alberta Health is recommending that any Albertan returning home from any country outside of Canada self-isolate for 14 days.
These directions are in place for the health, welfare and safety of all our members. While they may impact you personally in your training or your attendance we are asking all our members to consider the greater community of our athletes over and above your own personal considerations.
General Health & Wellness Tips: For All Karate Alberta Members
- Use good hygiene practices, such as frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol based sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Cover coughs and sneezes or use a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
- Contact your primary health provider or Health Link 811 if you have questions or concerns about your health
At this time, it appears COVID-19 is transmitted through person-to-person spread by:
- Larger droplets, like from a cough or sneeze
- Touching contaminated objects or surfaces, then touching your eyes, nose or mouth
Symptoms for COVID-19 are similar to those for influenza or other respiratory illnesses. The most common symptoms include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Extreme tiredness
Most people (about 80%) recover from this disease without needing special treatment.
Through Health Canada, Health Alberta as well Alberta Sport we would like to offer some additional useful links and suggestions over the coming days:
Alberta Government – Information for Albertans on Coronavirus
Global News – Alberta orders all classes cancelled, daycares closed
Health Alberta – COVID-19
Health Alberta – COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool
Health Alberta – Information for Albertans
Health Alberta – New Public Health Measures
Health Canada – Information for Canadians on Coronavirus
Health Alberta – Recommendations for mass gatherings
CBE – Health & Wellness in School
CSSD – Memo from Alberta’s Chief Health Officer
EPSB – Health & Wellness Update
WHO (World Health Organization) – Coronavirus advice for the public
At Karate Alberta we appreciate how potentially stressful this current situation can be on our members, our clubs, our dojos and the citizens of all our communities. We should all work to be a part of the solution to current crisis while being patient, being caring and being kind to each other. Please look to your communities health authority for direction as well as the provincial and national health authority.
And…wash your hands!
Karate Alberta
