OTTAWA -- As the city of Ottawa prepares for a move into the red zone on Friday, youth sports teams are getting set to make major changes.
Under the Red-Control level in Ontario's COVID-19 reopening framework, there are no games or scrimmages allowed for any organized sports team.
"This does take a toll on young athletes mental health because you’re right, it is an outlet. It’s a break from studying, a break from home life," said Karla Clarke.
For Clarke’s daughter, who plays with the Nepean Wildcats, it’s a disappointing end to an already difficult season.
"It’s frustrating because we’re so close to the end of the season and after a long Christmas break and then, of course, a stay-at-home mandate, girls were out of hockey for almost 12 weeks," said Clarke.
For all organized sports, the move to red means no more games or scrimmages, training sessions are allowed but limited to 10 people indoors and 25 outside. Physical distancing must also be maintained at all times.
"I think if this move to red is expected to last for any significant period of time, I can absolutely see organizations saying, 'you know what, maybe now is a good time to shut down,'" said Gary Hopkins, President of Hockey Eastern Ontario.
While it's a difficult end to the season for some, others are gearing up for the start of spring seasons.
"We’ll do our best, cuz we don’t have a choice but it’s certainly not an ideal situation," said Dalila Boukhaloua.
Her two children play soccer for Ottawa South United. Under the red zone, the team will only be able to participate in limited training.
"We were anticipating an outdoor season but at this point it’s all up in the air. We’re going to keep our fingers crossed that we can get our COVID numbers down in the Ottawa-area and that people have access to vaccines pretty quickly, so that we can get back to normal sports for the kids," said Boukhaloua.
The red zone restrictions will apply to all team sports and activities in the city.
