SWAMPSCOTT — The Board of Health is clear: No organized group sporting activities are allowed on town fields that haven’t been approved by the town’s athletic director.
The town’s current emergency order only allows gatherings of up to 10 people, who are required to socially distance. What sports are currently being allowed in town is based on the state’s COVID-19 Phase III reopening guidelines, including “Low Risk” sports, such as tennis, which can have practices, games, and tournaments; “Moderate Risk” sports, such as baseball and softball, which can have practices and games but no tournaments; and “High Risk” sports, such as football and soccer, which may have socially distant, no-contact practices, but no games.”
Regardless of risk-level, all sports occurring in Swampscott have to be approved by the town’s athletic director with an outlined safety plan. However, Board of Health Chairwoman Marianne Hartmann says she is frequently getting calls about non-sanctioned sporting activities on town fields.
“Almost on a daily basis I get emails or texts or PMs from people about kids on the fields. It’s mostly young people, but it’s not always young people, it’s adults as well,” Hartmann said.
Hartmann said she has received calls about full-contact football games with roughly 40 people involved, in clear violation of the rules. Those who see sporting activities that are in clear violation of COVID-19 rules should call the police, Hartmann said.
Hartmann said not following COVID-19 rules and guidelines could help facilitate a spike in COVID-19 cases, which would jeopardize the reopening of schools this fall.
“It’s hard for me to imagine this happening at a time when everybody’s talking about returning to school and really, really wanting to return to school, and how important that is,” Hartmann said. “But, if kids aren’t doing this right now, those likely aren’t the kids who are going to get sick, but they are the ones who are going to bring it home and get their parents sick or their grandparents sick.”
Hartmann said “it’s becoming more of an issue” recently with “large groups” gathering on town fields.
“I’m not trying to be a fun-sucker. I want the kids to have fun, but I also know how this virus spreads and I’ve also talked to very sick people, and I want to go back to school in the fall too,” she said.
