‘Welcome news for New Zealanders’

Sport New Zealand has welcomed the highly anticipated return of organised community sport once New Zealand moves to a level 2 Covid-19 Alert strategy.

Sport New Zealand chief executive Peter Miskimmin said: ‘‘The good news for many is that organised sport can start to work towards a return, subject to some very important conditions relating to hygiene, contract tracing and mass gatherings.’’

Level 2 will allow sports to resume training and playing, including contact team sports and physical activities ‘‘only if good contact tracing is possible and hygiene measures, particularly washing and drying of hands, and regular sanitising of equipment and surfaces are in place’’.

Playgrounds, gyms, pools and public courts will be able to reopen, subject to meeting public health measures, including regular cleaning.

Public conservation land will be open for walking, biking, and hunting but there are guidelines on the use of DOC huts and campgrounds.

Sporting gatherings of up to 100 people per field or court – not including players, officials or support staff – will be permitted. Sporting organisations must, however, have a system to record contact details of all people involved, or attending for contact tracing purposes in case of a Covid-19 outbreak.

Clubrooms can open, but retail and hospitality facilities are subject to health guidelines.

Sport New Zealand recommends physical distancing of two metres should be maintained wherever possible, ‘‘especially from people that you don’t know’’. It recognises contact during physical activity will occur but this should be minimised as much as possible, especially off the field of play.’’

Miskimmin said the return to community sport will be ‘‘welcome news to many New Zealanders given the restrictions we’ve seen with play, active recreation and sport during Alert Levels 4 and 3’’.