OLDS - Scheduled curling games continue this week after an Olds Curling Club member tested positive for COVID-19 recently.
The curling club notified members through a Nov. 8 statement that a member who was last in the building for ladies curling on Nov. 3 had tested positive.
“League play will continue. Our club takes our staff and members’ safety very seriously, and we have been following guidelines carefully. We will continue to follow these guidelines in operating our club, as before, including: sanitizing rocks before play, cleaning and sanitizing surfaces between draws, a sign-in sheet and setting up distancing guidelines and our other club protocols,” the notice from the Olds Curling Club board of directors said.
The infected person, the notice says, has reached out to all who she was in close contact with.
Close contact is defined by Alberta Health Services (AHS) as contact within a two-metre distance that lasts 15 minutes or more while the person is infectious.
“If you are not contacted directly, you can feel confident that you are not a close contact of this curler,” the board of directors said.
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The club has contacted AHS and the board of directors says it will continue to follow its guidance and provide members with any updates.
In addition to the club’s existing protocols, the board of directors is requesting that players go directly to the ice surface once ready to play and to "not linger downstairs" to ensure more space for social distancing.
Olds Curling Club is also now requesting players wear masks during play, as per Curling Alberta’s Nov. 6 recommendation.
Masks can and should be safely removed when needed, the board of directors say, such as before and while sweeping, when drinking water, when regaining a comfortable rate of breathing, or when replacing a wet mask.
“Masks are not required once seated at a table to enjoy food or a beverage in the lounge,” the board of directors confirmed. “We are responding appropriately to continue to prioritize the health and safety of our entire curling community.”
