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Official safeguards - JAAA fine-tuning protocols to protect workers at upcoming track meets

Published:Tuesday | February 2, 2021 | 12:14 AM
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A meet official (background) looks on while St Jago High School’s Kavian Kerr lands in the sand after his attempt in the Class One Boys Long Jump at the Purewater/Jamaica College (JC)/R Danny Williams Track Meet at the Ashenheim Stadium at JC on Saturday
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A meet official (background) looks on while St Jago High School’s Kavian Kerr lands in the sand after his attempt in the Class One Boys Long Jump at the Purewater/Jamaica College (JC)/R Danny Williams Track Meet at the Ashenheim Stadium at JC on Saturday, January 4, 2020.
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Track and field meet officials, like athletes, will have to adjust to the changes brought on to the sport by the coronavirus pandemic. Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) President Garth Gayle says he is aware of how challenging...

Track and field meet officials, like athletes, will have to adjust to the changes brought on to the sport by the coronavirus pandemic.

Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) President Garth Gayle says he is aware of how challenging this may be, so the association has prepared measures and protocols to help protect the officials from contracting the virus while they serve at the meets.

Gayle says the JAAA has been having COVID-19 safety protocol meetings and seminars with officials to educate them about the virus.

“These workshops are conducted by senior officers of the Ministry of Health who go through a detailed presentation about the pandemic,“ Gayle said. “We are having four such seminars with various stakeholders; the first week we had 135 participants, the second week registered over 145.”

He said these seminars also certify meet officials and others as COVID-19 marshals and compliance officers for meets.

16-PAGE GUIDE

Gayle said along with these seminars, the JAAA has also developed a 16-page guide for meet organisers, for this season, to help to protect everyone.

“Each week, our competition and medical commission have been reviewing the protocols and revising as we have dialogue with members of the Ministry of Health & Wellness, as well as the Ministry of Sport,” he said.

Gayle said that the JAAA will be providing the meet officials with safety gear such as masks and hand sanitisers.

A meet official’s job is to ensure the proper conduct of a meet. This means they interact with numerous persons and share equipment throughout the day; increasing their risk of contracting COVID-19.

Despite this safety risk, meet officials say they are pleased with the JAAA’s plans.

“I think they (the meet officials) are happy in terms of what protocols are put in place by the JAAA for upcoming meets, in terms of sanitisation stations, masks and the measures that were discussed,” electric start operator Junior Scott told The Gleaner.

However, he said they remain cautious and await the happenings of the first track meet.

“After the first planned meet, then they (the officials) will be better able to say [whether] those measures are enough, have the JAAA done what they said they would have done, or are there shortcomings,” Scott said.

Gayle said although the local track and field season is yet to begin, the association continues to make the necessary plans to ensure safety of everyone at the meets.

“We are seeing from the association’s standpoint that there are changes, and changes come on us daily, because we thought we had covered most of what needed to be covered for a smooth start [but] we realised that there are more requirements being placed on us in order for the proper start-up of our sport, track and field,” he said.

Sharla Williams