It is important to address some COVID issues still facing Amesbury, Little League in general and the state of MA.  Despite the fact that people are getting vaccinated and we are outside, we still have to be aware of the state guidelines related to youth baseball at the Little League ages.  

Here are the current guidelines for Phase 4, Step 1 in MA:

https://www.mass.gov/doc/safety-standards-for-youth-and-adult-amateur-sports-activities-phase-iv-step-1-effective-32221/download?_ga=2.72208720.219658455.1618226352-546347479.1593372878

It is important to note our opinions, what we feel about science and what other states are doing are of absolutely no consequence.  We are bound to follow these guidelines.  

We can read this for ourselves but the highlights here are clear and absolute. It is our obligation to follow these guidelines.  There are people around town and locally that still don't believe youth sports are safe.  We don't want them hearing / seeing we are not following protocols that could shut our league down.  It happened around our area last summer.  It happened for some local High Schools this past school year.  In short, we don't want to be the reason our league is in the newspaper or is told we have to stop playing.

• All players, coaches and spectators must be masked 100% of the time regardless of if you have been vaccinated.  Mask breaks can happen in an intelligent way but masks are still mandatory, including catchers. 
• Players and spectators should remain 6 feet (unless they are from the same household) apart whenever possible.  This includes just about every practice scenario. Keeping this in mind, only a couple players should be in the dugout at a time.  As games approach, we will update you as to how we handle this in games. 
• No sharing of equipment or water.  Ever.  This includes helmets, catchers gear and bats.  Handwashing should remain frequent.
• Each player should bring their own masks, hand sanitizer and water supply. 

In order to help you navigate the season, it is important to understand the following definitions and concepts...

Symptoms - Any player, coach or spectator that has symptoms should not come to the field until they feel better.  This does not mean anybody else is affected around you.  If symptoms persist, individual should get tested and quarantine until the results are in.

Close Contact - Only the DPH can name somebody a close contact.  When they do, the individual should follow the DPH guidance and quarantine.  Nobody around the close contact is affected.  While the individual may be down, the team does not need to pause. 

Positive - If somebody on the team (player or coach) is named positive, the team's activities should be paused until the DPH conducts their contact tracing.  Once the tracing period is over, the team may resume with all those not named a close contact.

The various DPHs all interpret each case and each individual situation differently.  There is no if this, then that chart. If and when this happens, do not jump to conclusions, and predict anything for your families.  Let the DPH do their jobs and let the scenario play out.

This only underscores the reasons to follow the mask and six-foot rules. If and when one of these cases pops, less people are affected if we tell the DPH what we have been doing to prevent the spread of it.  If you are cavalier about these responsibilities, more kids will be deemed a contact.  The more we follow the guidelines, the less families are affected when inevitably something happens.  

Thanks for helping us make our spring 2021 season a reality!