With matches in the SKNFA Premier League scheduled to kick-off this coming
Saturday 26 September 2020, the SKNFA has unveiled a set of COVID-19 safety
protocols for the return of football. These include: temperature checks, mask
wearing, physical distancing, hand sanitizing and much more. All persons
attending SKNFA leagues matches can expect to have their temperature
checked and their contact information collected for contact tracing, if
necessary. Mask wearing will be a strict requirement for everyone in the stadium,
with exceptions for players and match officials on the field. According to the
SKNFA General Secretary Mr. Stanley Jacobs, adherence to the health protocols
is critical to ensure that the SKNFA continues to maintain its approval status from
the National COVID-19 Task Force. Mr. Jacobs further stated that the SKNFA will
endeavor to be the platinum standard for hosting events in St. Kitts and Nevis
amid the global pandemic.
The key elements of the SKNFA COVID-19 protocols were informed by FIFA and
the World Health Organization guidelines, the SKNFA COVID-19 Medical
Committee, SKNFA Technical Experts and best practices from other football
leagues around the world. A dedicated link for the sharing of COVID-19
information for patrons, players and officials has been established on the SKNFA
website www.sknfa.com. A “Spectators’ Code of Conduct” has been created
and is available for download from the SKNFA website.
All football activities were suspended at the end of March 2020 in the wake of
the global pandemic. Since then it is safe to say that no other organization has
worked harder to create operations protocols to ensure the safety of all its
stakeholders. According to the General Secretary, we understand that this will
be challenging for everyone as we all adapt to what is now known as the new
norm. Nonetheless, we believe that our patrons, players and match officials will
be very supportive in adhering to the health safety protocols.
