August 20, 2021
Dear LA County Youth Sports Sector Partners,
The Protocol for Organized Youth Sports: Appendix S was updated on 8/26/21 to be effective on Wednesday, September 01, 2021. Recent changes are in bold:
• Noted that testing must be performed within 72 instead of 48 hours of any inter-team competition.
Other pertinent information and resources can be found on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
COVID-19 webpage.
Thank you for your ongoing efforts to protect the health and well-being of Los Angeles County residents.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
August 20, 2021
July 2021
Current Covid-19 Youth Sports Guidelines.
To facilitate safe participation in sports, extracurricular activities, and other activities with elevated risk (such as activities that involve singing, shouting, band, and exercise that could lead to increased exhalation), schools should consider implementing screening testing for participants who are not fully vaccinated. Schools can routinely test student athletes, participants, coaches, and trainers, and other people (such as adult volunteers) who are not fully vaccinated and could come into close contact with others during these activities. Schools should consider implementing screening testing of participants who are not fully vaccinated up to 24 hours before sporting, competition, or extracurricular events. Schools can use different screening testing strategies for lower-risk sports. High-risk sports and extracurricular activities should be virtual or canceled in areas of high community transmission unless all participants are fully vaccinated.
Funding provided through the ELC Reopening Schools award is primarily focused on providing needed resources to implement screening testing programs in schools aligned with the CDC recommendations. Learn more ELC Reopening Schools: Support for Screening Testing to Reopen & Keep Schools Operating Safely Guidancepdf icon. Resources are available to support school testing – see Appendix 2: Testing Strategies for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools.
2 Examples of low-risk sports are diving and golf; intermediate-risk sport examples are baseball and cross country; high-risk sport examples are football and wrestling.
3High-risk extracurricular activities are those in which increased exhalation occurs, such as activities that involve singing, shouting, band, or exercise, especially when conducted indoors.