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23:11, 8 March 2020 '''COVID-19''' is a disease caused by a coronavirus first discovered
in 2019. As of early 2020, it has had a serious impact on the
global travel and convention industry, and resulted in the cancellation
of some SCRABBLE tournaments overseas.
It is easy to communicate respiratory diseases when playing SCRABBLE,
because opponents face each other in close proximity and handle
playing equipment that has been handled by many other players. They
also often compete in confined and/or public spaces, and may be
exposed to many fellow travellers on their way to and from events.
We recommend that all participants carefully assess their health
risk when competing in SCRABBLE tournaments, and follow best practices
to help mitigate their risk of contracting not just COVID-19, but
other contagious diseases such as influenza.
== Right to play vs. right of refusal ==
A NASPA member in good standing has a right to participate in
NASPA-sanctioned events, unless the supervising [[Directors|director]] has
good reason to refuse their participation.
A player who has a severe contagious airborne disease should
be refused participation on the grounds that they endanger the
rest of the participants.
== Best practices for all participants ==
While our advice here is tailored to the needs of SCRABBLE players,
all participants should regularly check recommendations from public
health authorities for up-to-date and possibly locally specific
advice. In preparing this page, we have consulted:
* World Health Organization (WHO)
** [https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public]
* Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
** [https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html COVID-19 page]
* The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
** [https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/frequently-asked-questions.html COVID-19 FAQ]
* Apple Inc.
** [https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172 How to clean your Apple products]
=== If you are sick ===
If you have a fever and/or a
severe contagious airborne disease (such as COVID-19,
influenza, chickenpox or measles), do not go to a SCRABBLE club or
tournament where you may spread it to others.
If you have a contagious airborne disease and you are sure that it
is not severe, consider staying home anyway from SCRABBLE clubs and
tournaments. If you do go, make sure that tournament staff and
your opponents are aware of your condition. Wear a face mask, and
disinfect your hands after each time that they come near your face.
Use either 60%+ alcohol-based hand sanitizer, or warm soap and
water. If you have to leave the playing area to wash your hands,
do so under the terms of [[Rules|Rule]] IV.L (Leaving the Playing Area During
a game).
If you have to sneeze or cough, and are not wearing a face mask,
do so into a tissue or your elbow and away from all playing
equipment and players. Then pause the clock and call the director
to discuss whether you should withdraw from the event.
If you are immunosuppressed, make sure that tournament staff
are aware of your condition. Consider avoiding SCRABBLE clubs
and tournaments where there are local outbreaks of infectious
diseases. Follow your doctor’s advice to protect yourself as
appropriate. If you become aware after an event has started
that your participation is endangering your health, inform the
director as soon as you can, and withdraw from the event.
According to Rule V.K. (Forfeits and Byes), if you leave mid-game
you will be awarded a rated loss for the game in progress; any
subsequent games will not affect your rating.
=== If you are healthy ===
Even if you feel healthy, you may be incubating a serious disease,
and you can also spread germs from other players.
Wash your hands regularly, and don’t touch your face unless
your hands are clean.
=== Hand-washing ===
Wash your hands thoroughly at least before and after each round.
This is to remove germs that your hands have picked up from playing
equipment, furniture, keyboards, door handles, etc.
Thoroughly means wetting your hands, soaping them, reciting all the
anagrams of AEINRST at a reasonable pace three times while lathering
all surfaces of your hands, rinsing them, turning off the water
without touching anything, and drying your hands without recontaminating
them.
If you cannot wash your hands, then you can try disinfecting them
with 60%+ alcohol-based hand sanitizer, used according to directions.
This is not as effective as washing your hands, but may be more
convenient during play.
=== Cleaning equipment ===
[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5364714 Studies]
have shown that electronic equipment can be disinfected simply by being
wiped with a damp (not wet) lint-free cloth.
In fact, many modern devices have delicate coatings on screens, leading
manufacturers to
[https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172 recommend] nothing stronger
than distilled water on cleaning cloths.
Where possible, keyboards and touch screens should be wiped down between
uses.
Players are encouraged to use authorized software 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.
After each event: wash playing tiles and tile bags,
wipe down racks and board with disinfectant wipes,
disinfect clocks and adjudication devices following manufacturer’s
instructions.
== Best practices for directors ==
=== Communication ===
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.
=== Redundancy ===
During an outbreak, allow for more redundancy in all aspects of
your planning.
Consider that any of the following may be unavailable on short notice:
key personnel (including yourself), equipment, playing space, and players.
=== Cancellation ===
Allow for the possibility that your event may have to be cancelled, or that
players (especially those who are travelling) may have to cancel their plans.
When negotiating space with a new venue, discuss COVID-19 specifically, and
make sure that any fees you pay can 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.
=== Scheduling rounds ===
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.
=== Medical supplies ===
If you have access to them, consider adding to your tournament supplies:
* disposable face masks
* tissues
* hand sanitizer
* disinfecting wipes
* a fever thermometer