Curling Québec has repeatedly communicated with provincial authorities since the deployment of the “regional alert system (colour-coded zones)” to provide you, our members, with detailed guidelines for your operations. We want to remind you, however, that we are facing a worldwide pandemic and that, therefore, the practice of any sport will require some adjustments and compromise.
The directives affecting different sectors of activity may vary from one another, and we urge you first and foremost, to consider your curling club as two separate entities. The shed/ice sheets and the bar/lounge area should be viewed as two independent activity sectors, instead of a whole. This is a crucial shift in perspective that will help accommodate the reality that the official directives and guidelines will not necessarily harmonize between the two sectors.
Concerning the practice of curling, we recommend yet again the application of the Curling Canada Return-to-Play Guidelines in their entirety. Physical distancing is paramount and must remain at the core of all your planning; the “one-sweeper” protocol, in particular, in be rigorously followed. Gathering in groups should be avoided to reduce any risk of spreading the virus, as the Santé Publique du Québec officials have repeatedly made clear is key to their strategy. We strongly recommend that curling clubs adapt their daily schedules by staggering the start time of league games (for example: in a four-sheet club, game time on sheets 1 and 3 at 6 p.m. while game time on sheets 2 and 4 is at 6:30 p.m., etc.).
With respect to the number of people allowed in the playing area (shed), the overall sporting activity guidelines in Québec are based on the number of activity “areas,” the number of access (doors) available to these areas, and upon the official recommendations for the zone (green, yellow, orange or red) within which your club is located. For curling clubs specifically, the number of individual access points (doors) to the ice sheets determines the total capacity limit. Within a green or yellow zone, the maximum capacity allowed is 50 participants per door/access point/area. In comparison, the maximum capacity within an orange zone is 25 participants per door/access point/area. In a curling-specific context, however, the number of participants should not exceed 8 per ice sheet. Please see the table below for a few concrete examples of these directives:
You may also wish to refer to the Ministry of Education’s general guidelines document, Mesures applicables en fonction des différents paliers d’alerte dans le contexte de la pandémie de la COVID-19 (French only).
Concerning the bar/lounge area of your club, please note that it will be subject to currently enforced provincial regulations based on the type of permit or license held. Please consult this page regularly to validate that you comply with provincial requirements and remain informed of any changes throughout the season.
We invite you to contact our team for additional information. Please be reminded, however, that we are experts in the field of curling and not in bar or restaurant management!
Sincerely,
Curling Québec