'''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_Play|<span style="background-color:#00FFFF">Cyan</span> 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
If there are reasonable grounds to believe that a player may have a
severe contagious disease, even if they are not symptomatic, theplayer should SHALL be refused participation to avoid exposing other participants
to unnecessary risk of contagion.
what the current pandemic safety level is, and for recommending correspondingly
appropriate measures. Here is one for our competitive SCRABBLE community,
using the populara
<span style="background-color:#FFC0C0">red</span> -
<span style="background-color:yellow">yellow</span> -
<span style="background-color:#C0FFC0">green</span> -
<span style="background-color:#00FFFF">cyan</span> -
<span style="background-color:#C0C0FF">blue</span>
scheme from most dangerous to most safe.
; <span style="background-color:#FFC0C0">Red</span>
: Governments restrict or recommend against all gatherings of fewer than 100 people. No one may meet to play SCRABBLE in person.
; <span style="background-color:yellow">Yellow</span>
: Governments allow all business to reopen but require or recommend some social distancing measures. Participants may meet in person and play SCRABBLE online on individual devices, but may not share equipment or paper, or approach within six feet (2 m) of each other.
; <span style="background-color:#C0FFC0">Green</span>
: Governments lift all pandemic-related restrictions and recommendations, but there have been confirmed or probable cases within 14 days. Participants may meet and play SCRABBLE under <span style="background-color:#C0FFC0">Green</span> rules as described below.
; <span style="background-color:#00FFFF">Cyan</span>
: Governments permit gatherings of unrelated households, and all participants have completed a course of vaccination (such as two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines) and waited the recommended duration (such as two weeks for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines) for it to take full effect. Participants may meet and play SCRABBLE under <span style="background-color:#00FFFF">Cyan</span> rules as described below.
; <span style="background-color:#C0C0FF">Blue</span>
: There are no government pandemic-related restrictions or recommendations, or confirmed or probable cases within 14 days. Participants may meet and play SCRABBLE with no restrictions.
NASPA will not rate online tournaments or recognize records achieved at online events.
Noteworthy accomplishments at online events may be reported to [mailto:info@scrabbleplayers.org info@scrabbleplayers.org] for publication in the weekly newsletter.
=== <span style="background-color:yellow">''Yellow''</span> Play ===
* For all participants
** No one who has a probable or confirmed case of an infectious respiratory disease may attend.
** No one may approach within six feet (2 m) of anyone else at any time.
** All participants must wear face coverings that cover their nose and mouth at all times.
* For all participants
** No one who has a probable or confirmed case of an infectious respiratory disease may attend.
** All participants must wear face coverings that cover their nose and mouth at all times.
** Food may not be served in public spaces or consumed in the playing area. Beverages may not be served, and may only be consumed from closed-top containers.
** Division sizes should be kept as small as possible.
* Equipment
<!--** At least five days before the tournament, players should pack tile sets and tile bags into a clear plastic storage bag, labelled with their name and the date it was packed, to ensure that they are virus-free by competition day. --> ** All participants must 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.
** At the start of the event, each participant must set up their board at a separate table (or space at a table) at least six feet (2 m) from any other table.
** 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.
=== <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]].
=== <span style="background-color:#C0C0FF">''Blue''</span> Play ===
Competitive events may proceed normally, subject only to the following restrictions:
* No one who has a probable or confirmed case of an infectious respiratory disease may attend.
* All participants must affirm to the Director that they have been exclusively in areas where <span style="background-color:#C0C0FF">Blue</span> rules are in effect for the past 14 days.
* If any participants have been in <span style="background-color:#C0FFC0">Green</span> rules areas but none in <span style="background-color:yellow">Yellow</span> or <span style="background-color:#FFC0C0">Red</span>, the event may proceed under <span style="background-color:#C0FFC0">Green</span> rules.
== SCRABBLE Safety Level FAQ ==
; 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.''
; 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.''
; I had COVID-19 already. Do I need to be vaccinated to participate in a <span style="background-color:#00FFFF">Cyan</span> event?: Yes. All participants must have completed a course of vaccination and waited the recommended duration for it to take effect. Experts do not yet know how long you are protected after recovering from COVID-19.; My club has 10 members, not all of whom are vaccinated. Government authorities in my area restrict groups larger than 50 from meeting, but permit small groups of vaccinated to meet in private. Can my club meet?: ''No. Your area is in the <span style="background-color:#ffc0c0yellow">RedYellow</span> SCRABBLE safety level because the government is restricting gatherings of fewer than 100 people recommending some social distancing measures. Your club can meet under <span style="background- in this casecolor:yellow">Yellow</span> rules, groups of 50and may be eligible to play under <span style="background-color:#00ffff">Cyan</span> rules if everyone present has been vaccinated.''
; What color rules are in effect near borders or at regional tournaments?
: ''There may be ambiguity about which color is in effect in a given situation, especially if play is to take place in a location close to a public health jurisdictional boundary, or if players are travelling to an event from multiple areas. In such cases, the most serious, restrictive rules apply. For example, if a tournament director in Yukon wants to take advantage of their territory's SCRABBLE <span style="background-color:#C0FFC0">Green</span> status, they may do so as long as no one travels to their tournament from or through any area where <span style="background-color:yellow">Yellow</span> or <span style="background-color:#FFC0C0">Red</span> rules would be in effect.''
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 ([[#References|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.
=== Hygienic behavior ===
device belonging to the player being challenged should be used.
e. <del>Both players walk to the computer station without speaking or disturbing others.</del> f. If either player at any time before the adjudication feels a word was recorded wrongly, <del>both should return to their board to</del> <u>they should</u> verify <u>the</u> spelling.
gf. The <del>challenger</del> owner types the word(s) being challenged. All word(s) must be typed before adjudication.
hg. Both players verify the word(s) have been entered correctly <u>and that the correct lexicon is selected</u>, and the <del>player being challenged</del> owner presses the adjudication key <del>(usually the TAB key)</del>.
ih. The adjudication result is marked on the challenge slip.
ji. Computer adjudication Adjudication is final unless either player feels the computer 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.)
k. <del>Both players return to their board without speaking or disturbing others.</del>
=== 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 mild contagious airborne disease (such as a common cold), do not go to a SCRABBLE club or tournament where you may spread it to others. You might also be carrying a more serious disease unwittingly, and risk spreading it when you cough or sneeze.
* If you have allergies that make you sneeze or cough, take medication to prevent this from happening during a game, and wear a face covering in case it still happens.
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) answer no to all do not present an undue risk of the followingscreening questions:spreading COVID-19.
* Do you have reason to believe that you may have Click [[Sample COVID-19?* Do you feel sick or unusually tired?* Is your body temperature different from what it normally is?* Do you feel unusually warm or cold?* Do you have Screening Form |here]] to download a new or worsening cough?* Do you have any difficulty breathing or shortness of breath?* Do you have a sore throat, headache, or other unusual aches or pains anywhere?* Have form that you recently had any difficulty smelling or tasting things?* Have you recently had nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain?* Have you recently had conjunctivitis, or an unusually runny or stuffy nose?* Have you been in an area where any public health authorities recommend against gatherings of 100 or fewer people in the last 14 days?* (<span style="background-color:#c0ffc0">Green</span> and <span style="background-color:#c0c0ff">Blue</span> rules only) Have you been in an area where any public health authorities recommend any restrictions on public behaviour in the last 14 days? * (<span style="background-color:#c0c0ff">Blue</span> rules only) Have you been in an area where there have been any confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 in the past 14 days?<br>You may wish can use to post a copy of the list of questions, and/or ask screen participants to review the list before arrival.
=== Venue and layout ===
; 2020-06-25
: Announced revised guidelines in weekly newsletter.
;2021-03-24
: Drafted guidelines for Cyan play
== References ==
** [https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172 How to clean your Apple products]
** [http://health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/publichealth/coronavirus/docs/2019_patient_screening_guidance.pdf COVID-19 screening guidance]
* <a name=harvey2020 style="border-bottom: none; color: #626262">Abigail P. Harvey</a>, Erica R. Fuhrmeister, Molly E. Cantrell, Ana K. Pitol, Jenna M. Swarthout, Julie E. Powers, Maya L. Nadimpalli, Timothy R. Julian, and Amy J. Pickering, “Longitudinal Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on High-Touch Surfaces in a Community Setting,” Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2021, 8, 2, 168–175 (December 14, 2020), [https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00875 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00875].
===Response of Other Tabletop Game Associations===