The Flathead City-County Health Department on Monday released extensive COVID-19 guidelines and procedures for high school and middle school sporting events and other winter activities.

The five-page manual, which is supplemented by 11 other guides tailored to certain schools and sports, outlines safety practices for transportation, ticket takers, event spectators and more. It is a collaborative effort between the health department and athletic directors throughout Flathead County.

Under the terms of Gov. Steve Bullock’s directive, the “sponsor” of an event is responsible for ensuring compliance with COVID-19 requirements issued by the governor or the local health officer. For purposes of athletic events and activities, the new manual states the school district of the home team is deemed the activity’s sponsor.

“It is therefore incumbent upon the district of the home team to ensure that visiting teams from outside of Flathead County are aware of the terms of this plan and provide an indication that they will comply with them, prior to the activity or event,” the manual states. “The aim of this plan is to mitigate and manage the range of risks associated with school sports and activities, while acknowledging that there will likely be cases of COVID-19 associated with these activities.”

FLATHEAD COUNTY schools have suspended all overnight trips until further notice, with the exception of post-season play or in the case of poor winter road conditions. Concessions have also been eliminated “until further notice.”

All ticket takers, event workers, spectators and fans are required to wear masks and social distance — two common COVID-19-related measures that are consistently highlighted throughout the entire guide.

Only two home and visiting team spectators will be allowed per participant for basketball and wrestling events. Two tickets will be given to each home team athlete and coach for parents and/or guardians prior to the event, though the document notes some schools may utilize a pass list instead. No spectators will be allowed for swimming events.

The visiting team will provide a list and cell phone number of attendees prior to the event. There will be no co-mingling with coaches, players and/or spectators before or after the event and gyms will be cleared once the event is over. Spectators will only be allowed to watch contests “of which they have a participant actively participating,” the manual states.

AS FOR the athletes, anyone who utilizes the training room must wash their hands or use hand sanitizer upon entry and exit and masks should be worn at all times. Only five athletes will be allowed in the training room at a time and when in the room, they will be expected to maintain social distancing. Athletes and coaches must be masked at all times in the locker rooms as well and athletes will be encouraged to shower at home and to leave the locker room as soon as possible after games and practices.

When traveling to and from games, all bus riders will be pre-screened prior to loading, seats will be assigned and buses will be loaded from the rear, forward, and exited from the front of the vehicle, backward. Bus staff will also wear masks and will have portable protective barriers.

During the actual games and performances, sideline and bench areas must be limited to team and essential personnel only, six cheerleaders will be allowed with two spectators per cheerleader and there will be no band activity. All participants will be screened prior to participation in games, contests or performances.

The health department also has asked that a list of athletes, coaches, referees and others be provided for each game in order to assist with potential contact tracing efforts. The health department or school deputized personnel will conduct all case investigations of lab-confirmed cases and identify close contacts who must quarantine. A close contact is defined as “any individual who was within 6 feet or an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting two days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days prior to positive specimen collection.” These individuals may be asked to quarantine in addition to athletes who test positive.

The manual states, “in an effort to reduce the number of athletes subject to quarantine should one member become positive for COVID-19, coaches should make reasonable efforts to reduce intermixing of groups by having small groups do practice drills together, use weight rooms, and social distance on the sidelines during games.”

Other guidelines and procedures are centered around sanitation practices for equipment, the handling of medical kits, practices for water and hydration stations and more. It also notes some schools may have policies that are more restrictive than the guidelines listed in the countywide plan.

To view the plan, go to flatheadhealth.org and click on “COVID-19 HS & MS Winter Activities Guidelines and Procedures.”

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com