Question and Answers
Is all yachting and boating allowed under alert level 2?
Yes, this includes dinghies, keelboats, powerboats and pleasure craft as long as the guidelines around social distancing, hygiene, wearing of masks and contact tracing are met.
See Sport NZ information for Alert Level 2 here
Does that mean we can go keelboat sailing, not just short-handed sailing?
Yes. Again, you'll need to meet the guidelines. You will need to clean and disinfect boats each time you go sailing and supply santiser onboard and you might also consider suggesting crew wear sailing gaiters and sunglasses (more about preventing contact with face then filtering droplets) as well as full-fingered gloves.
What about club sailing? Will that be allowed?
Yes, 100 people gatherings will be allowed under alert level 2 which means club sailing can go ahead. Clubs will need to meet guidelines around contact tracing, hygiene and social distancing and it is advised to hold briefings and prizegivings online. Protests and hearings should take place while observing physical distancing.
Inter-regional travel will be not be allowed into regions where the alert level is higher (i.e. from Alert Level 1 to Alert Level 2 regions), this may affect participation in your event.
Can more than one gathering of 100 be at the same club?
Yes, but there are important rules to follow.
Indoors - gatherings or groups of 100 cannot merge and must maintain physical distancing of at least 2 metres. This includes use of spaces like entries and changing rooms. Also, there can be no sharing of equipment between groups, unless these are cleaned first.
Outdoors – multiple groups of 100 can rig/de-rig or launch in large outdoor spaces if they do not mingle and maintain distance from each other. The same rules around merging and sharing equipment also apply.
What is a gathering?
A gathering is a group of people who are intermingling, and includes both public and private activities, but does not include activities where people remain 2 metres apart (e.g. people at a playground or park) or activities undertaken on a business premises or educational facility. Gatherings include parties, weddings, funerals, tangihanga, religious celebrations, or spectators watching sports or music events.
Gatherings are not: offices or work sites (including professional sports, gyms), supermarkets, educational facilities, retail stores, cafes, bars or restaurants, public transport, hospitals, prisons, or malls (all of whom have their own measures in place to prevent transmission). Gatherings are not people going to a public venue like a swimming pool, or going to a park or a beach for a walk where other people are present.
For indoor venues like a shopping mall, or swimming pool there are guidelines for operating safely. There are two types of gatherings relevant to sport and recreation:
- Gatherings of friends and whānau – where everyone knows each other
- Lower-risk gatherings – where not everyone knows each other and therefore someone keeps records to enable contact tracing.
What are the rules about physical distancing?
Keep your distance when out and about:
- 2 metres in public and in retail stores, like supermarkets and clothes shops.
- 1 metre in most other environments like workplaces, cafes, restaurants, and gyms.
It is recognised that contact during physical activity will occur but this should be minimised as much as possible, especially off the field of play.
Do the gathering rules apply to sport?
Community sports are limited to groups of 100 in a defined space. The 100-person limit includes all players, officials and spectators. A sports field can have multiple defined spaces by keeping:
- people in groups of up to 100
- groups separate either through consistent 2 metre physical distancing when outdoors or barriers.
- These groups are prevented from intermingling or sharing common facilities at the same time.
A person in charge of a social gathering must ensure records are kept for contact tracing purposes, except where every person in a gathering knows, and can identify for the purposes of contact tracing, every other person who is a participant in the social gathering. This includes in your home, community hall or other space.
You must not participate in any gatherings if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you need to be in isolation for any reason.
What will we need to do to set up a good contact tracing protocol?
Every club should identify one person whose role is to oversee this process and who is available to be contacted at all times. It is now mandatory, for instance, for all providers (including clubs) to display the official New Zealand Covid tracer QR code in a place at or near the main entrance. This will help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in New Zealand by supporting faster contact tracing, otherwise paper records will need to be kept for four weeks.