(May 11, 2021) The following email was sent to members of the Council of the District of Columbia before the May 10 announcement of revisions to COVID restrictions. It is our hope that when the details come out, outdoor sports games, such as soccer and lacrosse, will be allowed.
To whom it may concern:
On behalf of the Board of Directors of CRYSP DC, I would like to take this opportunity to express our frustration and confusion about current policies affecting the use of outdoor sports and recreational facilities in the District of Columbia.
DC-based youth and adult sports organizations like CRYSP DC serve well over 100,000 youth and adult residents in DC, all of whom rely on such organizations for healthy, organized access to community sports and recreational opportunities. However, 14 months into the pandemic, too many of our organizations are still unable to offer full outdoor sports programs in the District.
As Mayor Bowser’s office has continued to re-open DC, there is a stark disconnect between where restrictions have been lifted and where they have not. Capacities for indoor facilities, where virus transmission is known to be higher (such as gymnasiums, entertainment venues, churches, bars, and restaurants), have been increased, yet there is continued prohibition on outdoor sports designated as “high-contact,” where virus transmission is incredibly rare.
We fail to see the rationale for the continued prohibition on outdoor “high-contact” sports, especially considering high vaccination rates and low-case rates locally; metrics which currently guide much public health decision making,
These continued restrictions significantly and negatively impact D.C.’s residents, especially DC youth. The District remains the only jurisdiction in the Mid-Atlantic region which continues to prohibit outdoor high-contact sports. Nationally, all other major cities are either allowing for games or have announced plans to do so.
Under current guidelines, D.C.-based teams and individuals are forced to make a choice for lack of a safer option: travel to Maryland and Virginia for organized play, taking sports dollars out of the District while increasing cross-community transmission risk, or engage in informal pick-up games and practices on overcrowded fields, a necessary and essential way for people to play sports, but one that is difficult to regulate and violates the Mayor’s current regulations.
Considering encouraging recent announcements by the CDC, which indicate that virtually all outdoor activities are considered safe (particularly when participants are wearing masks and crowds are limited), we feel now is the right time to ask that the Mayor’s office change the existing prohibition on outdoor high-contact sports.
We truly believe organizations like ours are in an excellent position to help D.C. and its residents return to a safer sense of normal. As highly organized groups, we are willing partners to the city in safeguarding the experience of our community athletes. Additional requirements for athletic permit holders such as mask mandates, caps on overall participation, and requirement for health checks for all players would be welcome and embraced.
We are eager to return to providing opportunities for D.C. residents to play all sports. We believe the time has come for our residents to be allowed back on the field and are confident that we can help make sure the transition is safe and healthy for all.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Michael Godec
President
CRYSP DC