Tippecanoe County Health
Department
Foods & Environmental
20 N 3rd Street
Lafayette, IN 47901
765-423-9221

Nursing & Vital Records
629 N 6th Street Ste A
Lafayette, IN 47901
765-423-9221

May 22, 2020 – Guidance for Community Recreational Sport Leagues
in Tippecanoe County
In accordance with Governor Holcomb’s Executive Order 20-28 issued on
May 21, 2020, community recreational sport leagues or teams, public or
private, may resume, subject to the following:
1) Non-contact sports such as baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis, golf,
soccer, swim, and other similar sports, may conduct practices, drills
and conditioning but not compete with other teams in games, meets or
tournaments;
2) Contact sports, meaning sports where players typically come into
contact with other players during play such as football, basketball,
rugby or wrestling, are not permitted, however, conditioning and noncontact drills for such sports may take place;
3) The social gathering limits and requirements for players and spectators
combined are followed – up to 100 people allowed
Consistent with Governor Holcomb’s Suggested Guidelines for Youth and
Adult Recreational Sports and Facilities, the Tippecanoe County Health
Department advises the following measures for practices (including
conditioning and drills) and games (when games are allowed by Governor
Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana plan):
1) Symptoms. Athletes, coaches, referees, parents, and spectators with
any of the symptoms listed below should not attend practices or
games. A coach or administrator who observes an individual
displaying any of these symptoms should immediately remove the
individual from the event. An athlete displaying any of these
symptoms should be safely isolated until a parent/guardian can
remove him/her from the facility/field.
- Cough
- Fever of 100.4 degrees or greater
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell

 2) At-risk individuals. People ages 65 and older and those with health
conditions should not attend practices or games.
3) Face coverings. Athletes, coaches, referees, parents, and spectators
should wear face coverings during practices and games.
4) Social distancing. Social distancing of six feet should be maintained
on the sidelines and during warmups, timeouts, and pre/post game
rituals. The number of spectators should be limited and seating for
spectators should be arranged to maintain social distancing. Signage
about proper social distancing should be posted throughout the site.
Facilities should have personnel available to monitor for appropriate
social distancing.
5) Facilities. Handwashing stations and/or hand sanitizer should be
readily available. Signage about proper and frequent
handwashing/hand sanitizing should be posted throughout the site.
Facilities and commonly touched surfaces should be frequently cleaned
and disinfected. Locker rooms and showers should be closed.
Concession stands may not open. Water fountains should be closed.
6) Physical contact. All athletes and coaches should avoid ‘high fives’,
handshakes, team huddles, and other types of physical contact outside
of the usual and customary contact of the sport. Drinks should not be
shared.
Examples from the NFHS Guidance for Opening High School
Athletics/Activities Sports Med Advisory Committee:
- A basketball player can shoot with a ball(s), but a team should not
practice/pass a
single ball among the team where multiple players touch the same
ball.
- A football player should not participate in team drills with a single ball
that will be
handed off or passed to other teammates. Contact with other players
is not allowed,
and there should be no sharing of tackling dummies/donuts/sleds.
- A volleyball player should not use a single ball that others touch or hit
in any manner.
- Softball and baseball players should not share gloves, bats, or throw a
single ball that
will be tossed among the team. A single player may hit in cages,
throw batting practice
(with netting as backstop, no catcher). Prior to another athlete using
the same balls,
they should be collected and cleaned individually.
- Wrestlers may skill and drill without touching a teammate.

 - Cheerleaders may not practice/perform partner stunts or building.
(Chants, jumps,
dances without contact are permissible.)
- Tennis players may do individual drills, wall volleys and serves.
- Runners should maintain the recommended 6 feet of distancing
between individuals
7) Equipment. Athletes should bring their own gear and equipment,
including game balls, water bottles, towels, etc. The handling of all
training items, i.e., cones, flags, goals etc. should be limited to
coaches. Shared equipment should be frequently disinfected.
8) Other measures.
a) Sign-in sheets should be used to gather contact information to
contact participants if a positive COVID-19 case is reported.
b) Reduce the number of and the duration of practices/games.
Minimize “idle” time before and after practices/games.
c) If a facility/field requires more stringent guidelines than these, then
those guidelines should be followed.
Jeremy P. Adler, M.D.
Health Officer, Tippecanoe County Health Department