MAHA District 4

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May 17, 2021

To the Members of our Michigan Hockey Community:

On Friday, May 14th, Governor Whitmer announced a new Gatherings & Face Mask Order, which aligns the state of Michigan with the revised CDC guidelines revealed on Thursday, May 13th. In addition, on May 14th the MDHHS released a revised Interim Guidance for Athletics.

In accordance with new CDC guidelines:

• All individuals can gather outdoors for purposes of organized sports without wearing face masks. This applies to both contact and non-contact organized sports.
• MDHHS recommends that individuals who are not fully vaccinated continue to wear face masks while participating in organized sports, both indoors and outdoors.
• Fully vaccinated individuals can gather indoors for the purposes of organized sports without wearing face masks. This applies to contact and non-contact organized sports.

Given the new guidance, the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) has made the following revisions to its COVID-19 risk mitigation protocols, set forth by the MDHHS MI Safer Sports COVID-19 Testing Program:

MI Safer Sports Testing Program – The MI Safer Sports Testing Program will remain a requirement for participants (ages 13-19) in Spring and/or Summer hockey activities. This includes MAHA associations, independent teams (not directly affiliated with a local association), and tournament / camp organizers. Full details on how to properly comply with the MI Safer Sports Testing Program has been outlined in our May 6th membership communication.

Documentation – Retrieving the appropriate documentation from participants, who are being tested weekly, remains critical to ensure compliance with the MI Safer Sports Testing Program. Based on the May 14th Guidance & Face Mask Order, as well as the May 14th Interim Guidance for Athletics, MAHA has revised the following documents to achieve this:

MAHA Code of Conduct Form (REVISED) – One-time acknowledgement of compliance with the weekly testing protocol.

MAHA Statement of Negative Result (REVISED) – In lieu of a lab-provided document confirming a negative test result, this form may be used to establish the required paper trail. Must be collected weekly and kept on file for the duration of the Epidemic Order. This form now includes an “Exemption Notice,” which may be checked only if a participant has been fully vaccinated and not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.

Testing Exemptions – Participants (ages 13-19) may be exempt from the testing protocol under the following circumstances:

1. Participants who have recovered from confirmed COVID-19 in the past three months, and remain symptom-free, may gather for purposes of sports practice or competition without testing if:
   1. They can provide a letter from their doctor, attesting that they fall into this category
   2. They have proof of a positive antigen test or RT-PCR diagnostic test within the past three months. (An antibody test is not sufficient.)

2. Fully vaccinated persons are not subject to the sports testing requirements set forth in Section 5(d) of the May 14th Gatherings and Face Mask Order, unless they have COVID-19 like symptoms. For purposes of record-keeping, we ask that fully vaccinated participants complete the Statement of Negative Result form and check the ‘Exemption Notice’ box. Participant and parent/guardian information, including signatures, are still required.

NOTE: Per the May 14th Interim Guidance for Athletics, the testing and face mask requirements set forth above are minimum requirements, and should not be understood to override or supplant any stricter protocols that a sports organizer (or a private facility) may require for its members or participants.

For more information on the MI Safer Sports COVID-19 Testing Program, please visit the COVID-19 page of the MAHA website. The Michigan Amateur Hockey Association will provide more details as we continue to receive additional direction and guidance from the MDHHS. We thank you for your continued compliance and ongoing support!

The MAHA is committed to providing a safe environment for its participants/spectators consistent with all applicable mandates and best practices. To that end, the MAHA does not encourage out-of-state travel for the 2020-2021 season or travel that requires overnight lodging. If a team intends to travel out of the State of Michigan for the 2020-2021 season, it is expected that the local association and/or team will complete this form and submit to the MAHA within 10 days prior to the proposed travel and regardless of whether there will be overnight lodging.

The Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) is teaming with Perani’s Hockey World on an exclusive offer for its membership!  Please see below for details.

To All Association Presidents, Coaches, Team Mangers and Team Officials:

Please see below for most recent communication from MAHA and USA Hockey regarding the 2020/2021 Hockey Season.

Applications for exceptions for the 2020/2021 are due no later than the teams first game of the state tournament.  Online exception form available at link below.

https://www.maha.org/exceptions

MAHA District 4 Council typically holds meetings on the second Tuesday of each month, but this is subject to change based on director's availability.   

Current meetings are being held via Zoom.  Contact the D4 Chairperson at d4chair@maha.org for details on next meeting date/time.