COVID-19 - SportWest

COVID-19 Updates

As Western Australia embark on its Safe Transition Plan, SportWest will be meeting weekly with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) to review any new COVID-19 restrictions and/or regulations and formulate information relating to the changes and how they affect sport.

SportWest is also in constant dialogue with the Department of Premier and Cabinet, WA Police Force and WA Health to ensure that we can provide the industry the most up to date and relevant information.

This information page is intended to assist sports by providing FAQs and links to information which directly affects sport at all levels.

Generally speaking, community sport is excluded from Proof of Vaccination requirements however, sport will need to comply with the requirements in the certain circumstances.

Any changes to restrictions or regulations will also be highlighted weekly in Sportsview to clearly explain the impact they may have on sport.

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Sports are strongly encouraged to email specific questions relating to their sport to Grant Trew at DLGSC via email: sportinfo@dlgsc.wa.gov.au or to SportWest directly via email: info@sportwest.com.au.

Additionally, all information relating to COVID-19 can be found at: www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus

Public health and social measures ease to baseline level

From 12.01am, Friday 29 April, Western Australia will move to “baseline measures” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of public health measures have been eased and these can be viewed via www.wa.gov.au.

The following is a snapshot which affect sport. These measures have been removed:

Proof of vaccination to enter businesses and venues
Capacity and gathering limits and the 2 square metre rule
Capacity limits on community sports, stadiums and community events
COVID Safety and Events Plan however, these are still encouraged
Blanket indoor mask mandate however, masks for people aged 12 and over visiting or working in aged care, health care buildings and hospitals or prisons, as well as travelling in taxis, ride share or on public transport remain in place.

It is important to note that existing mandatory workplace vaccination requirements and restricted travel to Indigenous communities remain in place.

The easing of measures is great news for community sport as it reduces the workload on clubs and volunteers to enforce the restrictions. SportWest wants to thank everyone involved in sport for doing the right thing and following the Government’s COVID-19 public health measures.

We look forward to a big weekend of sport, restriction free.

Easing of COVID-19 restrictions

The State Government has announced that COVID-19 restrictions will ease from Level 2 to Level 1 measures.

From 12.01am Thursday 31 March, outdoor community sport will no longer have spectator limits, while indoor community sport will be subject to mask and venue requirements.

Masks required indoors for adults and children in Year 3 and above, other than the home;
Contact registration requirements to only be required for higher-risk venues that require proof of vaccination. This will remove the need for contact registration at retail outlets and other lower-risk sites where only casual interaction is likely to occur;
Home gatherings limited to a total of 30 people, including household members;
Private outdoor gatherings limited to a total of 200 people subject to the two square metre rule (if at a private residence);
Two square metre rule for hospitality venues, nightclubs, convention centres or function centres, with a cap of 500 patrons (for two weeks only);
Two square metre rule for fitness venues, entertainment venues, galleries and museums, places of worship, hairdressers and beauty services;
75 per cent capacity for seated entertainment venues (forward facing), such as theatres and cinemas;
75 per cent capacity for major stadiums, such as Optus Stadium, RAC Arena, HBF Stadium (main area) and HBF Park;
Two square metre rule for Perth Crown Complex including the gaming floor; and
COVID Event Checklists required for events with more than 500 patrons and less than 1,000 patrons and COVID Event Plans required for large events with 1,000 patrons and above.

Proof of vaccination will remain in place for a range of higher-risk venues, a list of which venues can be found at www.wa.gov.au. Patrons will also be required to check-in using the SafeWA or ServiceWA app or a hardcopy contact register at these venues.

New POV Directions - Key section for sport

SportWest has highlighted the key sections from the Proof of Vaccination Directions No.2 with a focus on sport below.

Please note this is an extract of the Directions and SportWest strongly encourages all Members to read through and familiarise themselves with these new directions.

Section 26
Community sport means organised, community-based team or individual amateur sport played or participated in other than for valuable remuneration but does not include activities in the nature of an exercise class which requires payment or a ticket or other form of registration to participate.

Section 31
Event means any gathering of more than 500 patrons, whether in public or in private, and whether undertaken or engaged in on a for profit or not for profit basis, unless the gathering:
(a) falls within the terms of an existing approval under section 178 of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1911 (WA); or
(b) is an excluded gathering.

Section 32
Excluded event means:
(c) an event that is being held in an outdoor space and which is not a music event; or
(d) an event that is for the purposes of community sport;
(e) an event which takes place at a school and involves predominantly members of the school community (such as staff, students and parents of students);
(f) any event or class of event designated in writing by the State Emergency Coordinator, or a person authorised by the State Emergency Coordinator for that purpose, or by the Chief Health Officer or a person authorised by the Chief Health Officer to be an excluded event,
other than a specified high risk event.

Section 34
Excluded venue means:
(d) an indoor or outdoor pool, irrespective of whether it is comprised within a place listed in Schedule 1;
(e) a place of the kind referred to in paragraph 16 of Schedule 1 at a time that it is being used for community sport but not at any other time;

Section 49
Main Arena means that part of HBF Stadium located at Stephenson Avenue, Mount Claremont, shown as the main arena in the map attached to these directions as Schedule 2.

Section 50
Major stadium means any of:
(a) Optus Stadium;
(b) HBF Park;
(c) RAC Arena; or
(d) HBF Stadium – Main Arena.

Section 56
Patron means a person who is not staff and, for the avoidance of doubt, includes spectators.

Section 67
Staff means a person who has responsibilities at a place as an officer or employee or in some other capacity (including a voluntary capacity) and includes:
(a) in the case of a sporting activity, coaches and officials such as umpires 1 referees or scorekeepers;

Section 71
Valuable remuneration means financial or in-kind payments of more than a nominal sum.

SCHEDULE 1 – SPECIFIED VACCINATION VENUES

15. a major stadium;
16. a gym, indoor sporting centre, health club or dance studio (including a centre offering yoga, barre, pilates, aerobics, dancing or spin facilities or other fitness class), but not including any outdoor gym, outdoor skate park or playground;
20. a place where an event, other than an excluded event is, at the time, being held;

Read the Full Directions

COVID-19 proof of vaccination FAQs

The State Government has published a range of FAQs in relation to proof of vaccination.

Below are some of the FAQs which relate to sport.

Do participants of Dance studios or clubs require proof of vaccination?

Individual clubs, studios, owners, venue managers and dance competition organisers can still require proof of vaccination for entry to their studio or venue under their terms and conditions of entry.

Dance as a community sport – no proof of vaccination

When the outcome or intent is to train for a competition, grading, formal exam etc.
The activity must be structured and organised through a club or studio.
articipants are not paid to dance, eg not professional dance.

Dance as a fitness/exercise – proof of vaccination required

Performed for fitness, exercise or as a dance performance/concert, including preparation, rehearsals and the performance.
An individual cannot attend a gym/dance studio and do their own unstructured dancing/training.
Not involved in competition, grading, exams etc.
Not at a nightclub, in a licenced area, festival or hospitality venue.

Can I purchase takeaway food or drinks without showing proof of vaccination?
Yes. You are not required to show proof of vaccination if you are purchasing food and non-alcoholic beverage takeaway. Roadhouses and service stations will also not require proof of vaccination.

What happens if someone refuses to show proof of vaccination?
Venues must take reasonable steps to ensure patrons do not remain at the premises without producing this proof. There may be penalties for venues and/or patrons who do not meet these requirements. Reasonable steps may include, but are not limited to:

Signage at physical premises to inform patrons that proof of vaccination is required for entry.
Information and reminders on business websites, social media, and ticketing or booking sites that proof of vaccination required.
Informing workers of their obligations to check proof of COVID-19 vaccination status/valid medical exemption) and what to do if someone refuses or is not vaccinated.
Using existing security measures to do random checks of patrons.
Where there is existing managed entry i.e. nightclub, adequate resourcing at entry points to ensure proof of vaccination is checked.
Where there is no existing managed entry i.e. café or pub, vaccination certification is checked as soon as reasonable for example at the point of service.

Does community sport require proof of vaccination?
No, community sport does not require proof of vaccination, regardless of where it is held.

Community sport means organised, community-based team or individual amateur sport played or participated in without payment but does not include activities in the nature of an exercise class which requires payment or a ticket or other form of registration to participate.

Are standalone swimming centres/pools included? What about pools swimming pools in recreation centres?
Pools do not require proof of vaccination, whether they are stand-alone pools or within another venue, for example a recreation centre.

Do I have to show proof of vaccination if I am just playing sport on an area that is covered by the liquor license? For example, are golf courses and lawn bowls greens captured under proof of vaccination requirements?
Proof of vaccination applies to the part of a business where alcohol is supplied i.e. proof of vaccination applies to the part of the venue where alcohol is sold and consumed.

If, for example, alcohol is served and consumed throughout both a restaurant and an associated playing field or golf green – proof of vaccination would apply throughout. If alcohol was only supplied within a club, proof of vaccination would apply in that location only.

Would a large multi-faceted indoor venue (e.g. recreation centre with community sport courts, gym, swimming pool and playgroup) be captured?
Proof of vaccination would apply to the areas included in the proof of vaccination policy, including the gym, or rooms/spaces where group fitness occurs indoors.

A basketball court where community sport is being played would not require proof of vaccination, but if the basketball court was instead being used for a fitness class, then proof of vaccination would apply.

In the scenario where at the same time, a recreation centre had an area where community sport was being undertaken and in another area a fitness class was being undertaken, then proof of vaccination would only apply to the area where the fitness class was being undertaken.

Are regular weekly training sessions or weekend sporting fixtures considered an event, for the purposes of proof of vaccination?
No, community sport is not included.

Do spectators and participants at fun runs and similar outdoor sporting events need to be vaccinated?
Outdoor events generally are not captured under the proof of vaccination policy unless considered a high risk event.

Participants and spectators at fun runs and similar outdoor events (e.g. outdoor swimming races, triathlons, surf tournaments, rowing carnivals and similar sporting events) will only be required to show proof of vaccination if these events are classified as specified high risk events to which the proof of vaccination policy applies.

Do local clubs with no hospitality or alcohol component require proof of vaccination for members? What if there is a bar but it only operates on weekends?
Local clubs that do not have a hospitality or alcohol component do not require proof of vaccination for their normal activities. If the bar or seated hospitality only operates on certain days, the proof of vaccination requirement will only apply to the venue when the bar or hospitality is operating.

View all of the State Government’s FAQs via www.wa.gov.au

Expansion of Proof of Vaccination requirements

On 13 January 2022, the State Government announced an expansion of proof of vaccination requirements which will apply from 31 January 2022.

From Monday, 31 January 2022, proof of vaccination requirements will apply State-wide and be expanded to include new higher-risk venues. Double dose proof of vaccination for those aged 16 and older will be required for:

Visitors to public and private hospitals, and aged care facilities;
All hospitality venues including restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, clubs, taverns, night clubs and dine-in fast food (roadhouses, service stations and takeaway is exempt);
Indoor entertainment venues, including play centres, gaming and gambling, theatres, concert halls, museums, cinemas and live music venues;
Bottle shops;
The entire Crown Perth complex;
Major stadiums (Optus Stadium; HBF Park; RAC Arena; and HBF Stadium – Main Arena)
Gyms, fitness centres and health studios;
Amusement parks and the Zoo; and
Music festivals and large events with more than 500 people, unless exempt.

Importantly, community sport events, unless at one of the specific venues listed, are exempt from the proof of vaccination requirement.

Venues, staff and patrons will have a shared responsibility when it comes to proof of vaccination, with venues required to take reasonable steps to ensure all patrons are double dose vaccinated, or exempt.

SportWest encourages you to continue to review the www.wa.gov.au site for all the latest information.

Mandatory Vaccinations

Some sporting occupations are impacted by the State Government’s mandatory vaccination policy and must have received their first dose by 31 December 2021 and be fully vaccinated by 31 January 2022.

These occupations include:

Restaurant, pub, bar, café or fast food. For example: bar staff working a sporting club bar.
School or boarding school (teachers and other support staff)*. For example, coaches and/or development staff attending schools to conduct training sessions and clinics.
Building, maintenance or construction services. For example, ground staff and curators of sporting fields.
Staff working in or entering remote Aboriginal communities. For example, development staff attending remote communities to conduct clinics and school/club visits.

The full list of impacted occupations is available at: https://www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus/covid-19-coronavirus-mandatory-covid-19-vaccination-information

Sport & COVID-19 FAQs

The following FAQs have been developed received from the industry over recent weeks and answers to these questions are provided below.

Is an ad hoc volunteer who volunteers at a sporting club’s canteen once a week alongside full time canteen staff required to be vaccinated?
No, however this is subject to a proviso.

The Critical Businesses Worker (Restrictions on Access) Directions defines “ad hoc” as no more than once per week so that volunteer would be excluded from the vaccination requirements, unless if in order to carry out activities or provide goods or services that volunteer is required to come within 1.5 metres of the other canteen staff.

Can an office/admin worker (who does not perform any of the duties relating to a critical worker) enter the bar/food service area without being vaccinated. E.g. a sailing instructor meeting clients in the club restaurant?
Yes – The Critical Businesses Worker (Restrictions on Access) Directions exclude visitors, guests and patrons to a critical business site from the vaccination requirements.

Is a golf shop sales person required to be vaccinated if the shop they work in also sells cans of drink, chips, alcohol; but the sales person does not sell any of the food, only golf clubs?
Yes – Assuming the golf shop is located at a golfing club as opposed to a golf store in a retail setting.

However, if the golf shop sales person is carrying on activities or providing goods and services in the golf shop in a shared area with the sale of food at the club, then the vaccination requirements of the Critical Businesses Worker (Restrictions on Access) Directions apply to the golf shop sales person also. The activities or goods and services provided that make a person a critical business worker are not restricted to the sale of food alone.

Will full time greens keepers/maintenance staff be required to be vaccinated?
Full time greenkeepers/maintenance staff will need to comply with the vaccination requirements of the Critical Businesses Worker (Restrictions on Access) Directions, if they carry out activities or provide goods and services of any kind at the part of the golf club that could be considered a critical hospitality premises, namely the part of the golf club that sells food.

However, they would not need to do if for example, they exclusively keep and maintain the outdoor golf course only and not the clubhouse canteen facilities.

Will clubs need to request POV for plumbers, electricians that attend on an adhoc basis (no more than once a week) to carry out repairs etc?
Ad hoc tradespersons are excluded from vaccination requirements unless, if in order to carry out activities or provide goods or services they have to come within 1.5 metres of a critical business worker at the critical hospitality premises. Also, if the tradespersons are only carrying out repairs, for example, to the outdoors golf course and not the clubhouse canteen, the vaccination requirements do not apply to them.

Do the following staff/volunteers in these settings need to be vaccinated?
Kids holiday programs/clinics run by sporting clubs?
No, these are not covered by the mandatory vaccination directions.

Crèches within recreation centres and gyms (not regulated childcare centres)?
A creche is excluded from the definition of a child care service under Regulation 5(2)(e) of the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2012, therefore it is not captured by the Directions.

Community sport and recreation clubs using a venue on school grounds for training after school hours and on weekends?
No, these are not covered by the mandatory vaccination directions.

If a school is using an external venue, would the venue staff be required to comply with the same Directions as if they were visiting a school?
No, the venue staff are not required to comply with the same directions as if they were visiting a school.

Are large community sport and recreation events, specifically at unticketed outdoor venues where spectators/public may gather away from any central point (e.g. the Busselton Ironman), covered under the proof of vaccination considerations?
These events are not presently covered by the Emergency Management Act 2005 COVID Restrictions (Gatherings and Related Measures) Directions (No 5) unless the event is a music event (gathering of more than 500 patrons which features the playing of recorded music or live performances involving singing or dancing for the purposes of entertainment and at which the playing of the music is the primary focus of the event).

In respect to this question, it is a decision for the Chief Health Officer and discussion will need to take place with the WA Police Force whether there is any intention to cover community sport and recreation events.

I recently travelled to Perth to attend a community sporting event (for example, Country Week) in Perth and/or Peel, on return to my home region does the wearing of masks apply and for how long?

Anyone who has been in Perth and Peel (including Rottnest Island) regions since Thursday 6 January, 2022 must follow the mask requirements for two weeks after leaving these regions.

Anyone who has only been in the South West since Wednesday 12 January, 2022 must follow the mask requirements for two weeks after leaving that region.

If you would like to see an additional FAQ added to the list, please email SportWest via info@sportwest.com.au