As we continue to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 virus and its impacts on our community, participants exhibiting symptoms or signs of COVID-19 illness should not attend or participate in any TCUL games or events. The TCUL Board acknowledges that a person infected with COVID-19 may be contagious up to 2 days (48 hours) before showing any symptoms or may test positive for COVID-19 without symptoms (asymptomatic). To promote the health and safety of our players and community, the TCUL Board is issuing the following procedure on reporting a confirmed COVID-19 illness.

When to Report

To assist with contact tracing and limiting the spread of COVID-19, a player who tests positive or is otherwise diagnosed with COVID-19 MUST report the illness to the TCUL Board immediately.

Players who test positive or are otherwise diagnosed with COVID-19 should not attend or participate in any TCUL game or event until return to play requirements have been met (as outlined in the next section). 

How to Report

Players should email the TCUL Board at TwinCitiesUltimate@gmail.com or notify their Captain(s) immediately after a positive COVID-19 test. Captains informed of a positive COVID-19 test or diagnosis must contact the TCUL Board within the same timeframe as outlined above.

When reporting a COVID-19 diagnosis, the reporting person must provide:

• Date of positive test or diagnosis
• Date of the participant’s most recent game or event before the diagnosis
• Player name
• Player team
• Captain(s) name
• Name(s) of other league participants (if known) with potential to be a close contact encounter (e.g., carpool buddy, frequent player match-up during a game, person sitting next to them at the bar, etc.).

Providing these details will allow the TCUL Board to identify any players who may have had a close contact exposure to the affected player and take applicable steps to promote safe play for others. The TCUL Board will not request any additional personal or medical information from the affected player and will make every effort to protect the identity of the affected player while performing contact tracing to determine those players that may have had  close contact exposure.   Unless warranted, league participants will not be provided a general notification of every contact trace performed by the TCUL Board. 

For the health and safety of all TCUL participants, and in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), players who test positive or are otherwise diagnosed with COVID-19 will be only allowed to attend or participate in TCUL games or events when the following have been met:

1. 5 days since symptoms first appeared (or 5 days after a positive COVID-19 test for asymptomatic people); AND
2. 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; AND
3. Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving*

*Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation​

After the above criteria have been met, the individual will need to be masked at TCUL events for 5 full days after a return to play. So, for example, if a player is able to return to play on a Monday, if participating in any TCUL programming that Monday through Friday, they must be masked.

Most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others; however, if your healthcare provider recommends testing, they will let you know when you can resume being around others based on your test results. Participants can voluntarily submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test to the TCUL Board at TwinCitiesUltimate@gmail.com.

Refer to CDC guidance on quarantining for more information, located here.

Players who do not adhere to the above guidance will be subject to the TCUL sanctioning process.

The TCUL Board will contact the affected player, the player’s Captain(s) AND the Captain(s) of the most recent opposing team within 24 hours of being notified to determine any other players who may have had close contact with the affected player.

“Close contact” is defined by the CDC as:

Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).

The TCUL Board, with the team captains, will notify any players suspected of having close contact exposure with the affected player and communicate return to play requirements (as outlined in the next section). 

Players who are suspected of having close contact with the infected player will only be allowed to attend or participate in TCUL games or events when the following has been met:

1. Player is fully vaccinated AND
2. Player is experiencing no symptoms, OR
3. Player has had a negative test result (test must be taken 3 – 5 days after the exposure)*

* Proof of a negative COVID-19 test result must be submitted to the TCUL Board at TwinCitiesUltimate@gmail.com ahead of the next scheduled game or event before the participant is allowed to return to play.

Players who have had a close contact exposure outside of a TCUL game or event are asked to not attend or participate in any TCUL games or offerings until the above requirements for close contact exposure have been met. Please communicate absences to your Captain(s).

Players who have not been identified as having a close contact exposure to COVID-19 are not required to quarantine but are encouraged to perform a COVID-19 test.

Please refer to CDC guidance for additional information.

TCUL Board will communicate the COVID-19 exposure to the Captain(s) of the next teams scheduled to play the affected and opposing teams, including:

• An explanation of the positive test result, providing ONLY the date of the test and exposure – the TCUL Board will NOT provide the name of any affected player or players with close contact exposure.
• Explain action steps taken (i.e., affected player and players with close contact exposure have been removed from participation until return to play requirements have been met). 
• Ask the Captains, including affected and opposing captains, to communicate with their teammates and determine if they are comfortable playing the next scheduled game. ANY teams that are not comfortable playing the next game following a COVID-19 exposure will not be forced to play and may request a bye week, without affecting their league standings.

It is the TCUL Board’s mission to provide a positive, safe and healthy environment for its participants, and thus players who do not adhere to the above guidance will be subject to the TCUL sanctioning process.