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Dragon Zone Paddling Club Phase 5 COVID Protocols

Communicable Disease Prevention Protocols: Effective August 3 2021

COVID Transition Phase 5: Individual Boat/Expand Team Boat Operations

All visitors and staff are required to follow these protocols.

Key changes from previous protocol edition

• Capacity limits are lifted on sessions without Club instructors and steerspeople.
• Dragon boat sessions with Club instructors and steerspeople (including one-time events) begin with a maximum of 16 paddlers in a BuK, or 20 paddlers in a 6-16.
• Entry requirements adjusted to adapt to forecasted international arrival protocols.

General

Entry Requirements

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

• are exhibiting communicable disease symptoms or are feeling unwell
• are a confirmed communicable disease contact
• are required to self-isolate or be in quarantine due to close contact or travel
• have been instructed to take a COVID or other communicable disease test, or are waiting for testing results

Staff will administer a verbal wellness screening to anyone entering the docks.

If visitors cannot pass the wellness check, they will not be allowed in and should rebook through the office. If staff cannot pass the wellness check, they must contact their supervisor and will not return to in-person work until otherwise advised by public health officials.

Masks, Hand Sanitizers, PPE, and Contact Tracing

Masks are highly recommended in all public outdoor settings before getting on a boat, and in indoor settings unless in a bubble or in a private area. Staff are required to wear a mask in public indoor and outdoor settings unless in a bubble or private area.

Disposable masks are available on request, and reusable masks are available for purchase online at shop.dragonboatbc.ca.

Gloves and other PPE is available for staff if they wish to use them. Hand sanitizer and QUAT disinfectants is available throughout all facilities. Visitor logs will be maintained through the reservation system and be made available for contact tracing if necessary.

Vaccination Status

All visitors are encouraged to be fully vaccinated as soon as possible to minimize risk for our community, staff, and at our facility. We encourage teams to reduce the risk of communicable disease spread in their communities by adopting suitable protocols.

Dock Operations

Reservations and Rosters

Dock access is allowed only during staffed operating hours.

Paddlers are encouraged to reserve slots online. Reservation confirmation emails include details on our communicable disease and other protocols to ensure visitors are aware of our procedures.

Dragon boat teams are required to submit a roster with a maximum of 30 names at least 1 week before their first practice listing anyone who will be on the boat including paddlers, steers, drummers, and coaches through the online roster submission system. Only those listed on the roster may enter the facility and be on the boat.

Roster checks will be conducted at check-in. Reasonable roster changes are allowed, but may take as long as 1 week after the revision is approved to be active for check in.

Staggered reservations ensure no more than 75 people are on the docks at any one time.

Check In Procedures

Dock entry is from the East ramp only, and exit from the West ramp. Signage and staff will guide paddlers to entrances and exits. A check-in desk will be at the top of the East ramp. Check in procedures and wellness check questionnaires will be administered at entry.

Paddling Procedures

Staff will ask paddlers to give dock users outside of their training group distance as required.

Boats should not “link up” to other boats outside of their group or team except in an emergency. Boats may not stop anywhere other than their designated spot at the docks, and will not have “in and out” privileges except in an emergency.

Once paddlers are in a boat, paddlers should remove their masks to mitigate risks in the unlikely event of a boat flipping. Paddlers are encouraged to bring their masks with them in water-tight bags. In the unlikely event of an emergency requiring they dock at another facility or come in contact with a safety boat, they should put their mask on prior to coming into contact with someone else if practical and safe.

Paddlers are encouraged to use their own Transport Canada/Canadian Coast Guard certified PFD, and their own paddle if they have one to reduce using shared equipment.

No storage is available at this time yet for personal effects or belongings.

Club Supplied Instructors and Steerspeople

Sessions with club supplied instructors and steerspeople will require a minimum of 1.5-2 metres distance between participants and staff. Seats 1 and 10 will be left open in a dragon boat to increase distance between participants and staff while unmasked.

Isolation Zone

If a paddler displays COVID symptoms, 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 one on the docks should come within 2 metres of anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID. Any equipment used by a paddler with COVID symptoms should be left in the boat to be disinfected immediately.

Sanitation Procedures

When paddlers return to the dock, they will immediately leave through the West ramp. Any used PFDs/paddles should be put in specific areas for disinfection. Boat disinfection is on request and at the end of the day. PFD/paddle disinfection is between each use.

Staff applying disinfectants have access to vinyl gloves, eye goggles, and masks to use at their discretion. WHMIS training is provided for all staff. The disinfectants used on the docks do not require special handling. SDS sheets are in the dock office for reference.

Office Operations

Entry

Hours are determined by Creekside Community Centre. At this time, the offices are open only to staff or registered and booked visitors.

Meetings and Visitors

Staff will generally hold meetings on the docks. If an indoor in-person meeting is held, visitors will need to pass a wellness check prior to entry and provide their information for a visitor log. Masks are required to be worn for the meeting while indoors.

Sanitation Procedures

Hand sanitizer and disinfectants will be available for staff and users in all work areas. Air purifiers and fans are available in office spaces to help air circulation.  If staff wish to have access to additional PPE, equipment will be provided on request.

Communications

External Communications

A simplified version of these protocols will be displayed on the reservation site, in booking confirmations, on dragonzone.ca/alerts, and signage at dock entrances. These protocols are also posted at dragonboatbc.ca/covid19 (and eventually dragonboatbc.ca/policies).

If a communicable disease exposure happens at our facility, we will notify facility visitors in the same timeframe as the case via email.

Internal Communications

These protocols will be available at our facilities. Staff will be refreshed on communicable disease prevention protocols and best practices from time to time, and be provided with opportunities to complete communicable disease prevention training.

Special Events

If the Society holds a special event, a separate addendum with event and venue specific protocols will be developed and added on top of these protocols.