RETURN TO OUR MEDIA CENTRE HERE

ARCHIVED NEWS RELEASE

Dragon Zone Paddling Club Phase 4 COVID Protocols

Individual Boat/Limited Team Boat Operations: Effective starting June 28, 2021

All visitors and staff are required to follow these protocols to comply with COVID requirements.

Key Changes and Highlights

• Dragon boat practices may begin with 10 paddlers distanced in a standard boat.
• Rosters with up to 30 people must be submitted to begin practices, and paddlers/steers/drummers/coaches must be on the roster to enter the facility.
• Training sessions will be on a staggered basis (1 boat every 15 minutes).
• Single boat operations continue unchanged under COVID protocols.
• Boat disinfection on request and at the end of the day. PFD/paddle disinfection continues unchanged under COVID protocols.

General

Entry Requirements

Staff and visitors MUST NOT come to our facilities, and will not be allowed in if they:

• are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or are feeling unwell
• are a confirmed COVID-19 contact
• have been outside of Canada in the last 14 days
• are required to self-isolate, been required to take a COVID test, or are waiting for testing results
• All visitors and staff entering the docks will undergo a wellness check. Staff will administer a verbal wellness screening to each visitor.

If visitors fall into any of the categories above or fail the wellness check at check-in, they will not be allowed in, and are required to contact the office to find alternate arrangements for their booking. Paddlers on the same team as someone with COVID symptoms should get tested if they have had close contact with the case in question.

If staff fall into any of the categories above or fail the wellness check, they must immediately contact their supervisor. They will not be allowed to return to work in-person until they have been otherwise advised by public health officials.

Masks, Hand Sanitizers, Contact Tracing, and PPE

Masks are mandatory in all outdoor land settings, and in indoor settings unless in a bubble or no one is nearby. We provide disposable masks on request, and will have reusable masks online at shop.dragonboatbc.ca. Masks are individually pre-packaged in bags to keep them clean during handling, and dry while paddlers are on the water.

Gloves and other PPE is available for staff if they wish to use them. Hand sanitizer and QUAT disinfectants will be available throughout all facilities.

Contact tracing logs of entry times, phone numbers, and emails will be maintained through the reservation system. Records of staff and visitor entries will be available for contact tracing purposes if necessary.

Vaccination Status

All paddlers are encouraged to be fully vaccinated as soon as possible to minimize and mitigate risk to the community, to staff, and to safely keep our facility open. We encourage teams to develop protocols to help reduce the chance of spread of COVID within their communities, and to adopt a COVID-proof operating plan.

Dock Operations

Reservations and Rosters

Dock access is allowed only during staffed operating hours. No exceptions are allowed.

Paddlers are encouraged to reserve slots online to minimize check-in interactions. Reservation confirmation emails will include info on COVID procedures and waiver links to ensure paddlers are aware of our procedures.

Dragon boat teams are required to submit a roster with a maximum of 30 names at least 1 week prior to their first practice with the names, phone numbers, and emails of all paddlers, steerspeople, drummers, and coaches on their team who will be on the boat. Only individuals listed on the roster may enter the facility and to be on the boat.

Roster checks will be conducted at check-in. Roster changes are allowed within reason, and can take as long as 1 week after the revision is approved to be active for check in.

Reservations will be staggered at 15 minute intervals to reduce crowding on the docks.

• Single Kayak: 5 boats (5 people)
• Tandem Kayak: 3 boats (6 people)
• OC-1/Surfski: 2 boats (2 people)
• Dragon Boat: 1 boat (Phase 4: 12 people- 10 paddlers, drummer, and steers)

This will mean a maximum of 25 people in pass and rental programming, below the maximum capacity of the docks (~300 people). Flex capacity or misaligned reservations will lead to a maximum of 50 people on the docks, within the strictest categories of outdoor gathering/sport protocols.

Check In Procedures

Dock movement is on a one-way system, entering from the East ramp and exiting from the West ramp. Signage and staff will guide paddlers to entrances and exits. A mobile registration desk will be placed at the top of the East ramp.

Registration will conduct all regular check-in procedures, as well as verbally conduct wellness check questionnaires.

During COVID, no storage is available for personal effects or belongings.

Paddling Procedures

Staff will direct paddlers to ensure that they do not come in close contact with other dock users. Paddlers are encouraged to bring their own Transport Canada certified PFD, and their own paddle if they have it.

Once boats are on the water, staff will direct paddlers to remove their masks to mitigate any risks in the unlikely event of a boat flip.

Coach boats or accompanying boats may not be closer than 2 metres to a dragon boat. Dragon boat paddlers will be distanced either in a zig-zag pattern, or by skipping a seat.

Paddlers are encouraged to bring their mask with them in water-tight bags. In the unlikely event of an emergency requiring that they dock at another facility or come in contact with a safety boat, they are required to put their mask on prior to coming into contact with someone else, if it is practical and safe to do so.

Boats may not stop anywhere other than their designated spot at the docks, and will not have “in and out” privileges. A boat must stay on the water until their slot is over.

Isolation Zone

If a paddler displays symptoms of COVID-19, they should safely communicate this with the docks, and follow staff instructions to dock at an isolation zone, put on masks, and then immediately return home and get tested. Isolation zones are areas without anyone nearby, and may be an unused dock finger, or the far kayak launch area at dock 6.

No staff, visitors, or the general public should be within 2 metres of anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID. Any equipment used by the group should be left in the boat, and all surfaces should be sprayed down with disinfectant and left to sit including the boat, paddle, PFD, and safety equipment.

Sanitation Procedures

When paddlers return to the dock, they will be instructed to immediately leave the facility from the West ramp. Paddles and PFDs will be put on specific racks and in buckets that specifically are for used equipment to be sanitized.

QUAT disinfectants will be used to spray down paddles and PFDs. Boat disinfection is on request by the incoming group and at the end of the day. Runoff will be minimized by the use of spray bottles. Hand sanitizer stations will be available around the facility.

Staff using disinfectants will be issued with PPE including vinyl gloves, personal eye goggles, and N95 masks to use at their discretion. WHIMIS training is provided for all staff. The disinfectants we use do not require special handling. SDS sheets are available in the administration shed for inspection.

Office Operations

Entry

Entry/exit times will be determined by Creekside Community Centre’s hours. The hallway in the area outside of the offices are closed to paddlers, and open only to Dragon Boat BC and Park Board staff.

Only administrative staff will be allowed to work inside the community centre. Operational staff can access Creekside’s washrooms during hours of operation.

Meetings and Visitors

Staff will generally hold meetings on the docks. If an in-person meeting with a visitor is held indoors, visitors are required to verbally complete a wellness check prior to entry and enter their name for a visitor log. Masks are required to be worn for the entire duration of the meeting indoors.

Hand sanitizer and disinfectants will be available for the meeting. Only 1 visitor at a time will be allowed.

Maximum Numbers

A maximum of 3 people will be allowed to work in Meeting Room 3/102, and 2 in the Boating Centre Office/103. Signage will be placed to indicate these limits. A maximum of 5 people will be allowed to meet in the hallway outside of our main office. Marks will be placed to ensure at least 2 metres distance is maintained in the lounge area.

Sanitation Procedures

Hand sanitizer will be available for staff and users in all work areas. Air purifiers and fans are available in office spaces to help air circulation. QUAT disinfectants will be used to spray down and clean all work areas regularly.

If staff wish to have access to additional PPE, gloves, masks, and plexiglass barriers, equipment will be provided on request/made available.

Communications

External Communications

A simplified version of the COVID rules and requirements will be shown on the reservation site, on booking confirmations, and on multiple websites (dragonzone.ca/kayak, dragonzone.ca/alerts). Signage at facility entrances also display a simplified version of our procedures. General Dragon Boat BC COVID procedures and this plan are posted online at dragonboatbc.ca/covid19.

If a COVID exposure happens at our facility, we will notify individuals around the same time as the confirmed COVID case via email, and also post a general message on our social media channels.

Internal Communications

Our COVID procedures will be available near the entrance to the indoor office in a binder, and on our dock office in the administration shed binder with SDS info. Staff will be refreshed on COVID protocol and best practices from time to time, and be provided with opportunities to complete COVID training.

Special Events

If the Society holds a special event, a separate addendum with specific protocols to the venue will be developed, and treated as an addition to these current protocols.