From Our Regional Commissioner...

Hello Region 117 Families,

We hope this email finds you and your families well. AYSO has provided some best practices, tips, and resources in light of the continued growth of Coronavirus cases in the United States. We would like to pass that information on to you. AYSO National has assured us that they are keeping abreast of updates related to the outbreak. Likewise, we on the Region 117 board are regularly monitoring information put out by our local government, health care agencies and school districts, as well as information from the Area, Section and National levels of AYSO. The well-being of players and their families is AYSO's highest priority and that will continue to be the case moving forward. 

This is a very fluid and dynamic situation and we appreciate your patience and understanding.  According to the Orange County Department of Health, there is no outbreak of COVID-19 in Orange County currently.  The Local School District remains open as do all of its fields.   

At this time, the Orange County Health Care Agency has indicated that the "risk of infection to public in Orange County is believed to be low." Further, "CDC guidance indicates that people who have casual contact with a case (in the same grocery store or movie theater) are at a minimal risk of developing infection." (http://www.ochealthinfo.com/phs/about/epidasmt/epi/dip/prevention/novel_coronavirus) 

With all of that being said, we are going to take this weekend to have a cooling off period and cancel all games set for March 14th and 15th.  Because we are playing with Area Q teams as well, they will be doing the same.  There was already a bye week in the schedule that was set for March 21st and March 22nd (due to the AYSO Section 1, 10 and 11 Conferences which has since been canceled), so this will give a full two weeks of no games so that we can continue to monitor this very active situation.  Moving forward, we will continue to exercise caution and follow the lead of local school, city, and county officials with respect to continued soccer activities.

As of today, we are set to resume games on March 28th. In addition, teams are allowed to continue to practice and enjoy the beautiful game of soccer at the discretion of the coaches and the parents of the players.

We will continue to provide our region with AYSO specific guidance and information as it becomes available. In the meantime, please be sure to follow the CDC's best practices for hygiene such as:

• Avoid contact with people who are sick
• Stay home when you are sick
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds

CDC WEBSITE INFORMATION 

In addition, moving forward, we will be asking our coaches to forego post-game handshakes and "hands in" team cheers, as well as to remind players not to share water bottles and snacks. 

If you have any concerns for the health of your player, please do not hesitate to keep them out of practice or games, once games resume. But please be considerate and let your coaches know in advance. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. While we will be involving Regional, Area, Section, and National staff in all decisions, you may direct questions to [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] at this time. 

Thank you,

AYSO Region 117 Board Members