Children and young people's sports – next steps

The municipalities of the capital region, in cooperation with the ISI and the Civil Protection Committee of the capital region, have made the decision to allow children born in 2004 and older to start training in sports facilities run by the local authorities and the clubs from and including 26 October. The sports and leisure activities and swimming lessons for children born in 2005 and later will begin on the 3rd of November.

Purpose of measures to protect and maintain school activities by limiting the mixing of groups. 

On 8th October, the municipalities of the capital region decided that all PE lessons would take place outdoors, with the utmost regard for infection control, and that school swimming would be cancelled. This decision was made after a thorough review of the situation, in light of guidance from public health authorities and in consultation with the capital region's civil defence. The purpose of the measures was to protect and maintain school operations, with an emphasis on limiting the mixing of children and young people between different nurseries and primary schools in the capital region. A single infection in nurseries and primary schools can lead to large groups or more than one school having to go into quarantine.
The situation was reassessed yesterday at a meeting with the heads of the education and leisure services of the municipalities in the capital region and staff of the capital region's civil defence committee, and it was decided that indoor PE and swimming lessons will resume on 3 November. On that day, the temporary provision for the capital region in Regulation No. 1016, which concerns restrictions on school activities due to the pandemic, will be lifted.

The sports and leisure activities for children born in 2005 and later begin on 3 November.

Out-of-school sports and leisure activities for children born in 2005 and later will also begin on 3 November, but it is difficult to ensure that this does not lead to cross-group mixing beyond that which already occurs in school. A temporary provision in the regulation concerning the capital region states that it is not permitted to mix different groups beyond what is in place in schools. Mixing in children's and young people's sports and leisure activities is, in almost all cases, different from that which is in place in the children's schools.

The sports and leisure activities for children born in 2004 and earlier begins on 26 October.

On Saturday, a meeting was held with Civil Defence for the Capital Region, representatives of the municipalities, the Icelandic Sports Federation (ÍSÍ), its specialist federations, and the regional associations in the capital region. The outcome of the meeting was that children born in 2004 and older can begin training in sports facilities run by the municipalities and clubs on 26 October. This is subject to the conditions set out in the Minister of Health's regulation of 19. October sets out for sporting activities in the capital region. It states that sporting activities which require contact, or where there is a risk of contact between people, or which require close proximity, or where the use of shared equipment could pose a risk of transmission, are not permitted. Athletes who are thus permitted to train must therefore adhere to the 2-metre distancing rule and also observe general personal hygiene measures.

The capital region is at a vulnerable time in the pandemic. 

We believe that by halting indoor sports coaching and swimming lessons at the start of the month, the municipalities in the capital region have done everything possible to prevent even more infections among schoolchildren and to reduce the number of those who would need to go into quarantine if an outbreak occurs in their schools. Having to quarantine is not a trivial matter, let alone repeatedly, as has been the case. These decisions are being taken in light of the fact that the capital region is at a vulnerable point in the pandemic, and in the coming days it is crucial to be more cautious than ever so that we can get this wave under control. This will allow restrictions to be eased again, rather than extended. current measures or even tighten them further.

Further information is provided by Jón Viðar Matthíasson, Executive Director of the Capital Region Civil Protection Committee.