Covid Policy

Worcester 1988 Covid policy for 2025-2026

Standard Covid Protocol 

1. Staff reserve the right to cancel any events in the case of an overtly dangerous spike in community spread levels of covid. Staff will communicate any covid related cancellations through regular means of communication (Email and discord announcements) at least 48 hours before the event. The staff will be using publicly available covid information to make this assessment. Refunds will be issued in the event of games cancelled due to regional covid surges for anyone who has pre-paid for an event.

2. Staff reserve the right to require masking at events under any circumstances deemed prudent based on publicly available covid information. Any time masking will be required at an event, this will be communicated out to all participants by regular means of communication (Email and discord announcements) at least 48 hours before the event. Whenever masks are required, participants will be allowed to bring and wear their own masks as long as these masks meet masking standards set forth by the staff of the game. Participants unable to provide their own masks or masks of the staff standard will be provided masks by the staff. (Masking protocol is outlined later in this document.)

3. Staff reserve the right to require covid testing by participants before an event under any circumstances deemed prudent based on publicly available covid information. If testing becomes required before an event, participants will be notified at least 72 hours before an event. (Guidelines for covid testing are outlined later in this document.)

4. Vaccination of participants is required and additional boosters are required. A participant of the game must provide proof of initial covid-19 vaccination and a booster shoot dated in the year 2024 or 2025. The staff reserve the right to turn away any participant who cannot provide proof of both. Vaccination proof can be provided in person to the staff at the first event attended by the participant or provided digitally ahead of time to the staff. Once proof is provided, it will not need to be provided again for the 2025-2026 season.

5. Participants who are experiencing covid like symptoms will not be permitted to attend events. Participants are encouraged to use their best discretion on self checking their personal health following the guidelines set forth by the staff. (Personal Health Guidelines are outlined later in this document).

6. If participants develop covid like symptoms during the event, they should remove themselves from the game and inform the staff of the game of their change in health.

7. If within 48 hours of attending a session of this game a participant tests positive for Covid-19, they should inform the staff of the game of their change in health for the sake of contact tracing. Staff will inform all participants of the game of a possible community exposure. Participants who have tested positive will have the option to ‘disclose’ to the rest of the player their sickness base otherwise a blanket warning will be issued for the game.

8. Any participant found to be falsifying any compliance of this policy is subject to penalty  removal from the game by the staff.

Covid Masking Protocol:

1. Simple cloth masks will not be considered adequate facial covering whenever masks are required. Simple cloth masks are permitted to be worn by participants when masks are not required.

2. KN95 masks are considered to be the standard style of mask to be used when masking is required. Other types of similar masks may be permitted for use upon inspection by the staff of the game.

3. Participants who arrive at a game that requires masks without a mask will be provided a KN95 mask without additional charge. Participants are however encouraged to bring their own masks.

Personal Health Guidelines:

As per the official CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/signs-symptoms/index.html the following are considered symptoms of Covid-19

•  Fever or chills

• Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

• Sore throat

• Congestion or runny nose

• New loss of taste or smell

• Fatigue

• Muscle or body aches

• Headache

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

Participants experiencing any unexplained symptoms from above will not be permitted to participate in a session of this game. Staff reserve the right to scrutinize explanations of symptoms as they deem prudent.    

Covid Testing Guidelines:

Covid testing for this game may be declared required by the game’s staff based on publicly available regional health information. If it is deemed prudent by the staff of the game to require covid tests, all participants will be notified about this requirement at least 72 hours before the event. Covid tests can be done with over the counter, publicly available tests. Covid tests are to be completed within 48 hours of the start of a game session. Proof of negative Covid tests are to be provided to the staff of the game. Guidance on where to send proof of negative tests will be provided in any announcement of required tests. A positive covid test disqualifies any participant from attending an upcoming event. Refunds will be issued for any participant who can not attend a session of this game who has prepaid for a session if they are disqualified from attending in this way. Participants found to be falsifying covid test results in any way will be expelled from the game.