Cheerleaders can perform — yay! — but family groups still banned from the stands in California
After an entire year without organized sports such as soccer and Little League and high school football, young athletes are finally allowed to take to the field again in California — but there’s a twist.
In an attempt to keep attendance down, the state is issuing “guidelines” on who can attend.
In a reversal of earlier guidelines, cheerleaders will be allowed to perform, according to the Sacramento Bee, but marching bands, scouts and college recruiters are still out.
Oh, and sorry, mom and dad. Only one of you can attend, and you can’t bring any of the other kids along.
“Dumb” doesn’t begin to describe this new state guidance of allowing only one family member per player to watch outdoor youth games such as football, soccer and baseball.
We know COVID-19 is less likely to spread outdoors, where we don’t have to worry about poor ventilation.
Even when the virus was more widespread, we were still allowed to do outdoor activities like dining, exercising and hiking. We could enjoy an afternoon at the beach with our families, as long as we distanced ourselves from other households.
Plus, counties in the red tier recently got the go-ahead for outdoor concerts, though due to a current 20% capacity limit it’s economically unfeasible for large venues.
Common sense would dictate that if these other activities are allowed, it’s OK for immediate families to watch outdoor sporting events together.
Yet the San Luis Obispo County Health Department, for one, issued a news release Wednesday stating that attendance would be limited to one family member per player.
Don’t blame the county; it acted in response to the latest directive from the California Department of Health Services.
Meanwhile, though, other areas are issuing four tickets per player, the Bee reported.
So much for consistency.
It’s understandable that attendance limits would be necessary for, say, a college football stadium. Even with masks, sitting shoulder to shoulder next to someone you don’t know is risky.
But it’s not like hundreds of spectators turn out for an AYSO soccer match or a high school water polo game, so there’s almost always plenty of room to spread out on the bleachers or the sidelines.
Youth sports fans are not happy.
“How does that even make sense?” one SLO Tribune Facebook user posted. “So Mom AND Dad can’t go ... but they can all meet for dinner indoors after?”
Republican Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham of San Luis Obispo County had the same complaint.
“Members of their immediate family should be allowed to watch (kids) play,” he said in a news release that blasted the state, and of course, the governor.
We haven’t always agreed with the assemblyman’s positions on COVID-19 — for instance, we called him out when his law firm defended a gym that allowed indoor exercise, in violation of regulations in place at the time.
But we agree with his description of this “one spectator per player” guideline as “incredibly dumb.”
It’s regulations like these that undermine public trust in the way the government has handled the pandemic.
Adding to the ridiculousness of the situation, the state guidelines are contradictory.
In one place, the guidelines state, “Age-appropriate supervision should be limited to a single adult (or immediate family member older than the sport participant).”
Yet just a couple of paragraphs later, the state sows confusion: “Household groups must wear face coverings and stay at least 6 feet from non-household members.”
What the heck?
We reached out to state health three times for clarification, and finally got this response: “We are still processing your inquiry. Thank you for your patience.”
We respect the need to continue to follow COVID-19 guidance to prevent another surge in cases, but the rules must be grounded in common sense.
This one is not; the California Department of Public Health should revise it’s guidelines — again.
Young families have had an incredibly rough time during the coronavirus pandemic. They’ve been cut off from so much: in-person schooling, group play dates, sleepovers, birthday parties, field trips, class plays and youth sports.
Don’t further penalize them with a draconian and unnecessary requirement that allows only one family member to witness the joy of seeing a child hit a home run, catch a pop fly or score a touchdown.
This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 3:03 PM.