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'''COVID-19''' is a disease caused by a coronavirus first discovered | '''COVID-19''' is a disease caused by a coronavirus first discovered | ||
− | in 2019. | + | in 2019. The ensuing pandemic resulted in the cancellation |
− | + | of competitive SCRABBLE activities worldwide, and NASPA's implementation | |
− | of competitive SCRABBLE | + | of color-coded guidelines that imposed a moratorium on in-person play. |
− | ''' | + | '''NASPA's Board is not comprised of doctors or medical care providers. DO NOT predicate your medical decisions or actions regarding your personal health on anything provided herein.''' |
Click [[Membership#Impact_of_COVID-19_Moratorium_on_NASPA_Membership |here]] to see how the moratorium affects your NASPA membership. | Click [[Membership#Impact_of_COVID-19_Moratorium_on_NASPA_Membership |here]] to see how the moratorium affects your NASPA membership. | ||
+ | |||
+ | This moratorium is being lifted in two phases. First, as of 2021-06-01, the addition of the new | ||
+ | [[#Cyan_Play|<span style="background-color:#00FFFF">Cyan</span> Safety Level]] | ||
+ | permits groups of fully vaccinated players to gather to play normally. | ||
+ | Second, as of 2021-xx-xx, the color-coded guidance will be phased out | ||
+ | in favour of a general requirement that events conform to all level of official guidance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == <span style="background-color:#00FFFF">''Cyan''</span> Play == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Players may meet for traditional face-to-face competitive SCRABBLE using regular playing equipment, subject to the following conditions: | ||
+ | |||
+ | * For all participants (players, directors, and anyone else attending a gathering) | ||
+ | ** All participants must have completed a government-authorized course of vaccination against COVID-19, and waited the recommended duration for it to take full effect. (For example, a participant who has received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and then waited at least two weeks, would be eligible to participate.) | ||
+ | ** No one who has a probable or confirmed case of any infectious disease may attend. | ||
+ | ** No one who has had a positive COVID-19 test within the past 10 days, or who currently has any symptoms of COVID-19, may attend. | ||
+ | ** All participants must conform with all governmental guidance concerning meetings and travel. | ||
+ | * For directors | ||
+ | ** The total number of participants, including staff, may not exceed 12. (If governmental guidance restricts gatherings to fewer than 12 persons, this rule should not be understood as permitting such a limit to be exceeded.) | ||
+ | ** The location should be accessible to only the participants as much as possible - for example, a private room in a restaurant but not the main dining room. | ||
+ | ** Directors should be careful to conform to any local public health guidance, and refrain from holding events where distancing or other guidance would not permit them to be held. | ||
+ | ** Directors may impose stricter rules about the use of masks and face coverings, hand washing, etc. A copy of the <span style="background-color:#00FFFF">Cyan</span> Play rules, along with any STRICTER LOCAL modifications, must be made available to players both before registration and at the playing site. | ||
+ | ** The director must keep a list of participants, together with their current contact information, and ask them to certify in writing on arrival that they meet all the necessary criteria for play under these rules. A sample screening form can be downloaded [[Sample COVID-19 Screening Form |here]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | == Colorless Play == | ||
+ | |||
+ | Effective 2021-xx-xx, NASPA is returning to normal operations, subject to any restrictions imposed or recommended in governmental guidance, laws or regulations. | ||
+ | |||
+ | For Americans, this means complying with authorities such as town, city, county, tribal, territorial, state or federal government agencies. | ||
+ | For example, if your town permits gatherings of the sort needed to play, but your state does not, you cannot play. | ||
+ | Or if your county says twelve unrelated unvaccinated people can meet in close quarters indoors, | ||
+ | but the [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/pdfs/choosingSaferAct.pdf?v=1 CDC] says that this is still a less safe activity, | ||
+ | you cannot play in such a group. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Canadians should likewise consult municipal, Indigenous, provincial and federal (including PHAC) government guidance, | ||
+ | and only compete where this is recommended by all levels of authority. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Members who are travelling from one jurisdiction to another must also comply with all government guidance concerning travel. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <hr> | ||
+ | |||
+ | The remainder of this page is retained for the sake of historical interest. | ||
+ | |||
+ | == History == | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''On 2020-03-18, we [http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=1384631&f=6038&s=14937&m=286005&t=42bfeecf990f5ae04e8a9ea793c9a29e79393ee2e6b4b72ecef1a231ef1a0fa9 advised] all directors to cancel or postpone all sanctioned club and tournament activity, and to not resume until the appropriate public health authorities have recommended doing so.''' | ||
'''On 2020-06-25, we published guidance on when and how to resume competitive SCRABBLE activities according to a four-color SCRABBLE safety level scheme.''' | '''On 2020-06-25, we published guidance on when and how to resume competitive SCRABBLE activities according to a four-color SCRABBLE safety level scheme.''' | ||
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Players should check with club and tournament directors to make sure that | Players should check with club and tournament directors to make sure that | ||
events have not been cancelled at the last minute. | events have not been cancelled at the last minute. | ||
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== Risk Assessment == | == Risk Assessment == | ||
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** Division sizes should be kept as small as possible. | ** Division sizes should be kept as small as possible. | ||
* Equipment | * Equipment | ||
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** All participants should bring a board, rack, timer, storage bag containing unused tile sets and tile bags, and a second bag in which to place used equipment. | ** All participants should bring a board, rack, timer, storage bag containing unused tile sets and tile bags, and a second bag in which to place used equipment. | ||
** The owner of the board, rack, and timer must be clearly identified. | ** The owner of the board, rack, and timer must be clearly identified. | ||
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** At the start of each game, either player may request that a previously unused set of tiles and tile bag belonging to one of the two players be put into service. Any used tiles and tile bags should then be placed into the owner’s storage bag, and not reused until disinfected. | ** At the start of each game, either player may request that a previously unused set of tiles and tile bag belonging to one of the two players be put into service. Any used tiles and tile bags should then be placed into the owner’s storage bag, and not reused until disinfected. | ||
** The director may require participants to bring their own word adjudication device. | ** The director may require participants to bring their own word adjudication device. | ||
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=== <span style="background-color:#C0C0FF">''Blue''</span> Play === | === <span style="background-color:#C0C0FF">''Blue''</span> Play === | ||
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; What does all government guidance mean? | ; What does all government guidance mean? | ||
− | : ''All governmental guidance means guidance issued by federal, state/provincial, and county/municipal authorities in both the locality in which a participant resides and the locality in which the gathering takes place. Guidance includes but may not be limited to laws, by-laws, regulations, recommendations and guidelines. Where guidance includes restrictions on nonessential activities, Scrabble events should be considered nonessential. An event must conform to the most restrictive guidance issued by any government authority. For example, if the state imposes no restrictions on gatherings but the federal government limits indoor gatherings to 25 people, the event limit is 25 people.'' | + | : ''All governmental guidance means guidance issued by federal, state/provincial, tribal, territorial and county/municipal authorities in both the locality in which a participant resides and the locality in which the gathering takes place. Guidance includes but may not be limited to laws, by-laws, regulations, recommendations and guidelines. Where guidance includes restrictions on nonessential activities, Scrabble events should be considered nonessential. An event must conform to the most restrictive guidance issued by any government authority. For example, if the state imposes no restrictions on gatherings but the federal government limits indoor gatherings to 25 people, the event limit is 25 people.'' |
; How can I tell what the SCRABBLE safety level is for a specific event? | ; How can I tell what the SCRABBLE safety level is for a specific event? | ||
: ''If you are not sure how to apply the rules, you may email us at info@scrabbleplayers.org and we will research the matter for you. That is, if you tell us what your municipal, state and federal recommendations are, we will tell you what SCRABBLE safety level they imply.'' | : ''If you are not sure how to apply the rules, you may email us at info@scrabbleplayers.org and we will research the matter for you. That is, if you tell us what your municipal, state and federal recommendations are, we will tell you what SCRABBLE safety level they imply.'' | ||
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=== Stefan Fatsis article=== | === Stefan Fatsis article=== | ||
[[Stefan Fatsis]] reviews the arguments for cancelling tournaments and clubs in [https://slate.com/culture/2020/03/playing-scrabble-coronavirus-pandemic.html?fbclid=IwAR09AKSKilIm7el46-a4QCB8bceiiLawGGRd-5Pzr2B7d9iFkFLmvX1oDv4 Slate]. | [[Stefan Fatsis]] reviews the arguments for cancelling tournaments and clubs in [https://slate.com/culture/2020/03/playing-scrabble-coronavirus-pandemic.html?fbclid=IwAR09AKSKilIm7el46-a4QCB8bceiiLawGGRd-5Pzr2B7d9iFkFLmvX1oDv4 Slate]. | ||
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COVID-19 is a disease caused by a coronavirus first discovered in 2019. The ensuing pandemic resulted in the cancellation of competitive SCRABBLE activities worldwide, and NASPA's implementation of color-coded guidelines that imposed a moratorium on in-person play.
NASPA's Board is not comprised of doctors or medical care providers. DO NOT predicate your medical decisions or actions regarding your personal health on anything provided herein.
Click here to see how the moratorium affects your NASPA membership.
This moratorium is being lifted in two phases. First, as of 2021-06-01, the addition of the new Cyan Safety Level permits groups of fully vaccinated players to gather to play normally. Second, as of 2021-xx-xx, the color-coded guidance will be phased out in favour of a general requirement that events conform to all level of official guidance.
Players may meet for traditional face-to-face competitive SCRABBLE using regular playing equipment, subject to the following conditions:
Effective 2021-xx-xx, NASPA is returning to normal operations, subject to any restrictions imposed or recommended in governmental guidance, laws or regulations.
For Americans, this means complying with authorities such as town, city, county, tribal, territorial, state or federal government agencies. For example, if your town permits gatherings of the sort needed to play, but your state does not, you cannot play. Or if your county says twelve unrelated unvaccinated people can meet in close quarters indoors, but the CDC says that this is still a less safe activity, you cannot play in such a group.
Canadians should likewise consult municipal, Indigenous, provincial and federal (including PHAC) government guidance, and only compete where this is recommended by all levels of authority.
Members who are travelling from one jurisdiction to another must also comply with all government guidance concerning travel.
The remainder of this page is retained for the sake of historical interest.
On 2020-03-18, we advised all directors to cancel or postpone all sanctioned club and tournament activity, and to not resume until the appropriate public health authorities have recommended doing so.
On 2020-06-25, we published guidance on when and how to resume competitive SCRABBLE activities according to a four-color SCRABBLE safety level scheme.
On 2021-06-01 we added the Cyan Safety Level — conditions under which small groups of fully vaccinated players can meet for sanctioned tournament or club play.
Players should check with club and tournament directors to make sure that events have not been cancelled at the last minute.
COVID-19 can cause several avoidable or mitigable hazards.
Hazard | Chance | Impact | Risk | Mitigated Risk | Countermeasures |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bringing COVID-19 to venue | High | High | High | Medium | Screening, color-coded safety phases |
Finding COVID-19 at venue | Low | High | Medium | Low | Screening, separation from other users |
Spread during play | High | High | High | High | Spacing, ventilation, single-use equipment, disinfection, pairing |
Spread between rounds | High | High | High | Medium | Spacing, hand-washing, eliminate reasons to gather |
Spread to/from staff | High | High | High | Medium | Spacing, barriers, hand-washing, electronic communication |
Player becomes sick at event | Low | High | Medium | Medium | Screening, recording contacts, awareness of local medical protocol |
Staff becomes sick at event | Low | High | Medium | Medium | Screening, recording contacts, awareness of local medical protocol, redundancy |
We will discuss appropriate countermeasures in more detail below in the context of color-coded SCRABBLE safety levels.
From 2020 on, we will always be living in an era with a heightened awareness of the risks of pandemic disease. No matter what the current SCRABBLE safety level, be mindful of your health and safety and those around you.
A NASPA Director has a duty to provide a safe environment for their players, to instruct them on how best to ensure their safety, and to verify their compliance.
A NASPA Director can refuse entry to players if the director deems that their participation will result in an unsafe environment for other players. A NASPA member has a duty to share any information (such as their positive infectious status) that may affect the safety of other members around them.
If there are reasonable grounds to believe that a player may have a contagious disease, even if they are not symptomatic, the player SHALL be refused participation to avoid exposing other participants to unnecessary risk of contagion.
There are different systems in place across the continent for describing what the current pandemic safety level is, and for recommending correspondingly appropriate measures. Here is one for our competitive SCRABBLE community, using a red - yellow - green - cyan - blue scheme from most dangerous to most safe.
The SCRABBLE safety level applies to specific groups of people gathered for a specific NASPA-sanctioned event (club meeting or tournament). It is keyed to the government safety levels of each of the participants and venue, but is more restrictive. NASPA’s reopening will therefore take a regionally phased approach as in many states and provinces.
Our color-coded guidance is designed to mitigate risk, but cannot eliminate it. Please think carefully about your personal risk profile when making choices about competing in SCRABBLE events.
Failure to comply with color-coded measures will be deemed physical abuse under the Code of Conduct.
Clubs and tournaments should not meet in person when the SCRABBLE safety level is Red .
Clubs may play online using SCRABBLE GO and meeting tools such as Zoom or Discord. If they do so formally, the Code of Conduct is in effect.
NASPA will not rate online tournaments or recognize records achieved at online events.
Noteworthy accomplishments at online events may be reported to info@scrabbleplayers.org for publication in the weekly newsletter.
Players may meet in person to converse or play online on individual devices, subject to the following restrictions:
Players may meet for traditional face-to-face competitive SCRABBLE using regular playing equipment, subject to the following conditions:
Competitive events may proceed normally, subject only to the following restrictions:
This section lists several categories of optional recommendations that may result in a safer experience for all participants.
According to at least one scientific study (Harvey, 2020), the risk of contracting COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface is 1/10 that of spending one hour in a naturally ventilated indoor space of about 3,000 cubic meters (111,000 cubic feet) with a single infectious individual.
Participants are discouraged from using a common word adjudication device, to mitigate the risk of indirect contact transmission. This may be done either by having players use their own devices, or by having the director adjudicate challenges from a safe distance, while showing players the screen at appropriate points in the process.
Adjudicators are encouraged to use licensed software (or the NASPA Word Judge online) on their own mobile devices for word adjudication. Rule IV.J.1 (Software Lookup Procedure) lists which actions should be taken by the challenger and the player being challenged. If a personal mobile device is being used for adjudication, the owner of the device should take all actions necessary to operate their device for both players according to their specific verbal instructions.
Specifically, if one of the players involved in the challenge has an appropriate device (and not withstanding any other prohibition on electronic devices), then steps (e) through (k) should be replaced with the following. If both of the players want to use their own device, then the device belonging to the player being challenged should be used.
e. If either player at any time before the adjudication feels a word was recorded wrongly, they should verify the spelling.
f. The owner types the word(s) being challenged. All word(s) must be typed before adjudication.
g. Both players verify the word(s) have been entered correctly and that the correct lexicon is selected, and the owner presses the adjudication key .
h. The adjudication result is marked on the challenge slip.
i. Adjudication is final unless either player feels the device or program is flawed (and requests a manual adjudication) or feels a word may not have been entered correctly (and chooses to repeat the procedure.)
Follow official news sources closely to anticipate measures that will be taken to address outbreaks, and communicate them to your players. Be open with your players about your planning process, including how you will decide if the event needs to be cancelled, and how you will treat sick players.
Plan for the possibility that your event may have to be cancelled, either because public health authorities require it, or because your own risk assessment so indicates. Consider also that players and staff (especially those who are travelling) may have to cancel their plans.
When negotiating space with a new venue, discuss COVID-19 specifically as an example of force majeure. A standard force majeure clause permits either party to cancel a contract at no penalty. Even if you find yourself having to cancel an event without a force majeure clause in your contract, ask your venue if any deposit that you have paid can be refunded to you given the unusual circumstances, or at least be credited toward a future event post-outbreak.
Similarly, although it is NASPA’s position to remain independent of financial transactions between players and directors, we believe that it is in everyone’s long-term best interest for directors to be as lenient as they can about entry fee cancellation policies where COVID-19 is concerned.
Notify the Tournament Committee if you cancel a tournament. You can reschedule the tournament to another date if it does not conflict with a tournament already on the calendar. The standard 6 weeks advance notice will not be required for the rescheduled tournament.
During an outbreak, consider that any of the following may be unavailable on short notice: key personnel (including yourself), equipment, playing space, and players.
Your planning should provide for alternatives if a key resource becomes unavailable - for example, extra equipment or an alternate venue.
Before permitting a player or staff member to enter the playing space, verify that they (to the best of their knowledge, on pain of discipline as a Code of Conduct case of physical abuse) do not present an undue risk of spreading COVID-19.
Click here to download a form that you can use to screen participants.
When choosing a venue for your event, evaluate the risk associated with the location.
When laying out the floor plan for your event, minimize opportunities for players to
congregate in close proximity. If possible, ask players to keep a two-metre distance from
each other when not playing.
Consider room ventilation and its effect on airborne microorganisms:
Post notices reminding participants to wash their hands after each round, and offer
hand hygiene stations where possible.
If you have a large number of players who are diligently washing their hands after each round, you may find your tournament schedule delayed by lack of capacity of hand-washing stations. Plan accordingly by padding your schedule, and be lenient in the application of Rule III.C. (Arriving Late) when toilets and sinks are overcrowded.
Keep players at the same tables as much as possible, to minimize sharing equipment. At least one player at each game should stay at the same board in the next round.
If you have access to them, consider adding to your tournament supplies:
Be aware of the nearest emergency medical services.
if there are medical doctors participating, check with them about their
availability to intervene if needed.
Stefan Fatsis reviews the arguments for cancelling tournaments and clubs in Slate.
Copyright © 2024 NASPA All rights reserved. SCRABBLE is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. in the USA and Canada, and of Mattel, Inc. elsewhere. NASPA and its activities are neither endorsed by nor affiliated with Hasbro or Mattel. For more information about NASPA or for comments or issues with this page, please email us.