COVID-19

January 5, 2022

COVID GUIDELINES UPDATE/REVIEW

Due to updates in the BC Government public health order and changes to our operations and protocols immediately prior to the Christmas Holiday break, we are sending out a reminder about the latest updates:

 

BC Gathering and Events order

CSI Pacific-identified athletes are exempt from current public health order meaning that they are able to train, travel and compete.  However athletes must follow PSO and NSO COVID protocols, as well as CSI Pacific protocols where applicable.

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CSI Pacific Staff and Contractors: Working from home

 Due to the ongoing COVID situation and rapidly increasing case numbers, CSI Pacific has encouraged our staff that they should not come into our facilities until further notice (until the end of January at the earliest) unless in-person service is required*

 Only essential in-person services (*high performance gym, physiology testing, medical/paramedical appointments  in which physical exam is required or manual therapy being delivered) should be coming into our facilities until further notice.

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Staff and Sport Partners Facility Access

Due to the rapidly increasing COVID numbers and the most recent provincial health modeling here in BC, CSI Pacific is restricting access to all our CSI Pacific campus locations to only the following groups at this time:

• Beijing 2022 Olympic or Paralympic-bound athletes (Whistler campus); or
• Current NSO LOU National Team programs** athletes as listed on schedule A of the LOU (Victoria campus)

**Active LOUs as of April 1, 2021 for fiscal year 2021-22; see attached document for further information [PDF]. This is also posted on the website here.

At this point, any athletes who do not fit into the above criteria will not have access to our facilities. This decision has been made as a mitigation strategy against COVID for athletes, coaches, NSO/PSO staff, as well as for CSI Pacific staff and contractors.

We expect this policy will continue at least until all Beijing-bound athletes have departed for the Beijing 2022 Olympics/Paralympics.

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COVID Testing

Facility Access: Rapid Antigen testing

We will be adding daily rapid antigen testing to our pre-screen for all staff and athletes using our facility. Please coordinate scheduling with the CSI Pacific service provider you are working with to allow for 20 minutes prior to your session to ensure there is enough time to have your rapid antigen test completed prior to accessing the facility.

In Victoria the location for the rapid antigen testing will be outside the High Performance gym at the door on the west (or ‘non-track side’) side of the building. Everyone should conduct their rapid antigen test at this point before entering the gym or building.

In Whistler all rapid antigen testing will be in the physio/supplement storage room just beside the High Performance gym.

Please contact medical@csipacific.ca if you have any questions.

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Post-travel/post-holiday testing

As per the SMAC Guidelines, CSI Pacific is requiring PCR testing for all staff and athletes who will be coming in to the facility following after any travel, domestic or international by bus, train or plane. There are 2 options:

1. A PCR test can be on Day 3*** after your return from travel or 1-2 days prior to the first day you would like to access our facilities (as it takes 24-36 hours for this PCR test to be reported).
2. Five consecutive days of rapid antigen testing.
3. Those that choose to not have PCR testing can access CSI Pacific facilities upon return from their holidays after a 10 day period, with Day 0 being New Year’s Eve, on January 10th.***Day 0 being the day of your arrival

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For all PCR testing:
Please email medical@csipacific.ca

• Please note: for all sport partners, PCR tests cost $150. If PCR testing is provided by CSI Pacific, we will invoice the sport following testing,. Testing is required but does not need to be provided by CSI Pacific; the requirement is a proof of a negative PCR test from any PCR testing location.

For Rapid Antigen testing:
Please email (for Victoria: medical@csipacific.ca // for Whistler: smcginnis@csipacific.ca) to schedule your arrival time if are you needing to access the facility and remember to allocate 20 min for the test.

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Masks

CSI Pacific is now requiring all staff and Sport Partner athletes/staff to wear well-fitting medical masks. Medical masks will be available at the location of the Rapid Antigen testing. Medical masks and N95 masks can be re-used until visibly dirty but should be allowed to fully dry in between use. We are recommending that you have a supply of enough masks for 3-5 days allowing it 5  days to dry fully and for any infectious particles to die (which can take up to 72+ hrs). Masks should be stored in a paper or cloth bag until ready to be re-used. Don’t reuse a visibly soiled or damaged mask.

 

Positive Rapid Antigen test

If someone has a positive rapid antigen test as part of the pre-facility entry screening, they must not come in to the facility, immediately return home and contact the local public health authority for further testing instructions. Here are the contact numbers in BC:

• Victoria: 1 844-901-8442
• Vancouver and Whistler: online booking for most clinics: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3862560c5a41418e9d78f4f81688e9d0
• If you are not offered a PCR test, you can report your positive rapid antigen test here: https://reportcovidresults.bccdc.ca/

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Close Contact

Those who are determined to be a Close Contact of a confirmed or suspected positive COVID case must self isolate from our facilities. If you are fully vaccinated, you can be cleared to return to enter our facilities if you are Asymptomatic and either:

• Two negative rapid antigen tests on Day 5 (or 6) & Day 7 to allow a return to CSI on Day 7
• PCR testing on Day 5 to allow a return to CSI on Day 6

Please contact medical@csipacific.ca if you require a PCR test under these circumstances

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Self-Isolation

 All CSI Pacific staff and Sport Partner athletes/coaches are required to self-isolate if:

• You test positive for COVID: Self-isolate for 7 days and have two negative rapid antigen tests prior to re-entry if fully vaccinated. If not fully vaccinated we ask that you not come to our facility for 10 days
• You are considered a close contact: see above Close Contact protocol
• You develop COVID symptoms but are not tested: Self-isolate for 10 days, as long as you are symptom free for 24 hours
• You develop COVID symptoms but test negative: Self-isolate until you are symptom free for 24 hours

More in depth provincial guidelines can be found here: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/self-isolation#How–long

These guidelines continue to be reviewed and updated, based on emerging information.

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Please contact medical@csipacific.ca if you have any questions.

December 21, 2021

Due to the rapidly increasing COVID numbers and the most recent provincial health modeling, we have made the difficult decision to restrict facility access at all our CSI Pacific campuses to only the following groups at this time:

• Beijing 2022 Olympic or Paralympic-bound (Whistler campus); or
• National Team athletes (Victoria campus)

At this point, any athletes who do NOT fit into the above criteria will NOT have access to our facilities. This decision has been made as a mitigation strategy against COVID for athletes, coaches, NSO/PSO staff, as well as for CSI Pacific staff and contractors.

All athletes, coaches and staff who do fit the above criteria will need to have daily rapid antigen testing for every person for each day they access our facilities. These tests will be administered by CSI Pacific staff. Please contact medical@csipacific.ca for more info.

CSI Pacific’s current position is that this policy will continue at least until all Beijing-bound athletes have left for the Beijing 2022 Olympics/Paralympics.

We will be reviewing this decision in late January, based on public health policy, and will update you all as any changes to this policy occur.

Thank you for your understanding at this challenging time.

December 10, 2021

SMAC Close Contact and Travel Update

COPSIN’s SMAC Close Contact and Travel Policy Guidelines have been updated and will be in effect on December 13, 2021.

• View SMAC Close Contact and Travel Policy Guidelines – December 10, 2021

December 1, 2021

Asymptomatic Testing Update

CSI Pacific’s Asymptomatic Testing Process for our partner sports, athletes and staff has recently been updated.

• View CSI Pacific’s Asymptomatic Testing Process as of December 1, 2021 [PDF]

November 24, 2021

Return to Sport Plan Update

CSI Pacific has now updated our Return to Sport plan as of November 24th, following our September 9th update, which is in line with the Government of BC’s guidelines and incorporating the new BC Vaccine Card.

• Return to Sport Plan – November 24, 2021
• Return to Office One-Pager – November 24, 2021

It is critical to note that all people – staff, athletes, coaches and guests – must be vaccinated to enter any of our facilities, effective immediately, in line with the BC Government’s requirements.  Proof of compliance via the BC Vaccine Card is mandatory.

For those who do not have the B.C. Vaccine Card, you may get it here: https://www.healthgateway.gov.bc.ca/vaccinecard

For those from outside B.C. wishing to access our facilities:

People from other Canadian provinces or territories must show:

• Provincially/territorially officially recognized vaccine record
• Valid government photo ID
• You should also update your vaccine record in BC with the instructions at this link: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/vaccinecard.html#out-of-province

International visitors must show:

• Proof of vaccination they used to enter Canada (like ArriveCAN)
• Passport
• You should also update your vaccine record in BC with the instructions at this link: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/vaccinecard.html#out-of-province

If an accommodation is required, please provide a letter from your personal physician confirming your exemption to  medical@csipacific.ca.

June 18, 2021

Return to Sport Plan Update

Following the BC Government’s new, phased approach to re-opening the province, we have now updated CSI Pacific’s Return to Sport plan to align with these phases (Updates on Page 2-4 of the following document):

• Return to Sport Plan – June 18, 2021

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June 11, 2021

Vaccine Education Presentation

See the following presentation with the latest information regarding vaccines, vaccine choices and protection from COVID-19. This presentation was originally created for the CFL and was then adapted by the Sport Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC)

• View Vaccine Education Presentation – June 11, 2021

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April 12, 2021

Asymptomatic Testing Update

We have now added Rapid Anti-Gen testing to our services, alongside our existing service for PCR testing. Both tests are available for request. Rapid Anti-Gen results turnaround are reported within 30 minutes of sample collection.

• View CSI Pacific Asymptomatic Private Testing One-Page Overview [PDF] – No longer offered
• View CSI Pacific Asymptomatic Private Testing Template [XLSX] – No longer offered

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March 24, 2021

Press Release: Canadian Sport Institute Pacific teams up with Kontrol BioCloud to help protect Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls on the road to Tokyo

CSI Pacific is proud to announce we will be using Kontrol Technologies’ innovative BioCloud technology as a further line of defense to help protect athletes, coaches and staff training with us against COVID-19

• View View press release

Asymptomatic Testing Update

A new one-page summary of our COVID-19 asymptomatic testing process, completed in partnership with LifeLabs, has been created for our NSO and PSO partners.

• View CSI Pacific Asymptomatic Private Testing One-Page Overview [PDF] – No longer offered

Message from CEO – Wendy Pattenden

With the recent announcement by the BC Public Health Officer to continue the current restrictions in BC indefinitely, CSI Pacific re-affirms our commitment to supporting our sport partners while adhering to the PHO orders and recommendations. Specifically, we would like to state that:

1. CSI Pacific’s facilities remain open and operational at this time.
2. CSI Pacific will continue to work with eligible sport organizations to identify high performance athletes that are exempt under the PHO for sport related activities that include training, travel and competition. All other elements of the PHO must be adhered to.
3. CSI Pacific supports PHO recommendation that non-essential travel within our province and between provinces be avoided, we continue to request that sport organizations outside of BC refrain from organizing training camps in BC at this time and that the athletes and staff of BC based sports, identified as high performance programs affiliated with CSI Pacific, travel within BC only for essential training and competitions.
4. CSI Pacific will continue to work with training groups already established in BC where an agreement exists between CSI Pacific-and sport organization, and that CSI Pacific COVID protocols are followed when:
   1. training in our facilities
   2. services are provided by CSI Pacific Staff

Notification to sport Partners regarding BC athlete exemptions (No Travel)

On January 7th, Bonnie Henry extended current health restrictions to February 5th. Clarification on the public health order can be found in a Jan 13th letter from viaSport, the organization who works with government to communicate public health orders in the province of B.C.

Based on this clarification, CSI Pacific is asking National Sport Organizations NOT TO TRAVEL into British Columbia during this restriction period for sport training.

Those National Sport Organizations with established training groups in B.C. with CSI Pacific identified athletes who have athletes and staff already training in British Columbia can continue to follow the provincial health order exemption. Accredited B.C Provincial Sport Organizations with CSI Pacific identified athletes have exemptions to continue sport in the province, but should be aware of guidelines below.

Athletes and staff who may be returning to their training group from outside of B.C must continue to follow OTP SMAC guidelines which state that:

1. Inter-provincial travel:
   Sport team members (athletes and staff), on return to a BC training environment from inter-provincial travel, require a 14-day self-isolation period prior to return to facilities and training groups. This can be shorted to a 5-7 day self-isolation period upon return, with a negative COVID-19 test performed on the fifth day (or later) after their return.Sport team members traveling within BC only (i.e. not leaving the province) do not need to self-isolate after their travel.
2. International travel:
   Sport team members (athletes and staff), on return to a BC training environment from international travel must adhere to the current federal government mandated 14-day quarantine period. This cannot be shortened for any reason, unless an exemption is granted directly to the sport organization by the Government of Canada.

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No athlete or staff will be able to use CSI Pacific facilities unless the above guidelines are adhered to.

Questions related to CSI Pacific Athlete Nomination and or travel restrictions can be sent to nominations@csipacific.ca

CSI Pacific is able to facilitate asymptomatic testing to assist in returning to training. Please view our asymptomatic testing info on this page (Jan 5th update) for more information.

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific Asymptomatic Private Testing Procedure

CSI Pacific in partnership with LifeLabs have entered into a contract to provide Asymptomatic Private Testing to our Sport partners and clients. The purpose of this document is to outline the procedures and requirements for Asymptomatic Private Testing executed through this contract with LifeLabs.

All requests for testing must come through a sport partner or organization. Individual athletes cannot request tests directly to CSI Pacific and must go through their sport or organization to make a formal request.

Eligible

The CSI Pacific Medical Clinic will provide asymptomatic COVID-19 testing1 to National Team2, Next-Gen or Provincial (BC) athletes3, coaches and other staff that are eligible for testing – if approved by your sport or organization – under the following scenarios:

1. Asymptomatic test required in anticipation to entering a training camp bubble; or
2. Asymptomatic test required prior to domestic4 or international travel5 for training or competition; or
3. Asymptomatic test requested upon return to CSI Pacific training facility or offices from domestic travel

Non-Eligible

CSI Pacific will not provide COVID-19 testing to anyone under the following circumstances:

1. Any individual who will be returning from international travel and is under a Government of Canada order for 14-day quarantine period
2. Any individual that exhibits COVID-19 symptoms
3. Any individual who has been in close contact to someone who tested positive for COVID-19
4. Any individual that requests a test for personal reasons without coordinating with their Sport or organization

Downloads:

Find out more about eligibility, costs & more:

• CSI Asymptomatic Private Testing Procedure [PDF] – No longer offered
• CSI Asymptomatic Private Testing Template [XLSX] – No longer offered

Important Amendment: Our update from December 14th, 2020 (as seen below) has been amended.

In the section “Canadian Sport Institute Pacific Travel Update During Upcoming Holiday Season”, #2, it has been changed from “If one does choose to travel outside of BC there it is recommended…” to “If one does choose to travel between provinces it is recommended…”

This update reflects that athletes, coaches and staff may be entering BC from other provinces, but may not have been in BC before that point. Any inter-provincial travel will be subject to our regulations as listed section 2a & 2b, as listed from the December 14th update below.

PROVINCE WIDE RESTRICTIONS (last updated on government website December 14^th, 2020)

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/restrictions#sports

Sport exemptions
High performance athletes, professional athletes and professional performers like dancers are not included in the order. To qualify as a high performance athlete, you must be:

• Identified by the Canadian Sports Institute Pacific as a high performance athlete affiliated with an accredited provincial or national sports organization
• Continuing to follow the safety guidelines of your provincial sports organization

Travel advisory
At this time, all non-essential travel should be avoided. This includes travel into and out of B.C. and between regions of the province.
For example:

• Do not travel for a vacation
• Do not travel to visit friends or family outside of your household or core bubble

What is essential travel?
Individual circumstances may affect whether a trip is considered essential or non-essential. Essential travel within B.C. includes:

• Regular travel for work within your region
• Travel for things like medical appointments and hospital visits

For example, if you live in Vancouver and work in Surrey you can continue to commute.  If you need to travel for essential reasons, take the same health and safety precautions you do at home:

• Wash your hands often
• Practice safe distancing, 2 m
• Travel only with yourself, household or pandemic bubble
• Stick to the outdoors whenever possible
• Clean spaces often
• Wear a mask in indoor spaces

 

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific Travel Update During Upcoming Holiday Season

After review of provincial trends and information regarding COVID-19 and in reference to Canada’s Sport Medicine Advisory Council (SMAC) regular advisories, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific recommends the following with regards to athlete and team member travel during the upcoming holiday season:

1. 1. It is safer for individuals not to travel during the holiday season. If you do, please be aware of the public health authority restrictions where you travel and the potential need for self-isolation upon arrival.
   2. If one does choose to travel between provinces it is recommended that:
      1. A 7-day self-isolation period upon return, with a negative COVID-19 test result taken on or after Day 5 required before returning to facilities and training groups.
      2. A 14 day self-isolation period prior to return to facilities and training groups.

1. 3. For any international travel, the present federal 14 day quarantine on return to Canada will be in force unless new regulations and restrictions are released prior to that time.

The above restrictions should be discussed and verified by team members with their NSO and PSO and conform to both provincial health authority regulations where you live as well as where you travel to.

Message from CSI Pacific CEO – Wendy Pattenden

Given the recent announcements from the BC Public Health Office and Own The Podium, we wanted to provide an update as to the current status on three important topics.

1. Provincial COVID update:

Following our CSI Pacific external communique from November 12 with regards to athlete and staff travel, we are asking for the collective cooperation from all members of the Canadian Sport ecosystem for your shared responsibility to respect Provincial Health Orders and all of the supporting recommendations:

• On Nov 19, 2020, the Provincial Health Officer issued an order that ALL residents of BC should stay local, avoid non-essential travel within BC and not travel outside the province unless it is essential. In addition provincial health officials are asking those outside the province not travel to BC at this time for non-essential reasons.
  https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/phase-3?bcgovtm=20200506_GCPE_AM_COVID_9_NOTIFICATION_BCGOV_BCGOV_EN_BC__NOTIFICATION#bc-travel

• At CSI Pacific we feel that given the rising COVID numbers in all parts of BC we are asking our sport partners to respect and follow these recommendations. Specifically, at this time we are asking NSOs to not travel to BC at this time.

• The current Provincial Health Officer Orders will be reviewed prior to December 7th. CSI Pacific will update our website as the situation changes in BC:
  https://www.csipacific.ca/covid-19

 

2. Symptomatic Testing:

• NSO/PSO sport partners are encouraged to follow normal public health procedures within, when symptomatic testing is required:
  http://covid-19.bccdc.ca/

 

3. Asymptomatic Testing:

Note (updated Dec. 10th): Information regarding asymptomatic testing will be changing in mid-December and so the update regarding asymptomatic testing from November 19 has currently been removed to avoid confusion

Thank you all, and stay healthy!

Message from CSI Pacific CEO – Wendy Pattenden

In light of the recent caseload increase throughout B.C. and Dr. Bonnie Henry’s announcement about changes to the Fraser Health Region and Vancouver Coastal Health Regions, our Whistler Campus has moved back to Phase 2a of our Return to Sport plan. This will be in effect until November 23, at which time it will be reviewed.

Our gym will remain open during this time. Increased vigilance and reduced athlete numbers in the gym will be in effect during this time, with a maximum of two sports and/or 10 athletes in the gym at any one time.

Per the Section E of the Order of the Provincial Health Officer [PDF], a special provision has been granted to athletes identified by Canadian Sports Institute Pacific as a high performance athlete affiliated with an accredited provincial or national sports organization and are already training in the affected area and subject to the safety guidelines of their provincial sports organization.

At this time no out of province athletes are able to come to this region to use our facility. This will be reviewed again on November 23.

Message from CSI Pacific CEO – Wendy Pattenden

Updates regarding sanitization and Protocol for Symptoms of Possible COVID-19 Infection
Based on new information regarding COVID-19 transmission, changes have been made in our Physiology and Strength & Conditioning disciplines with regards to our sanitization routines. These changes are reflected on our most recent Return to Sport plan. As well, we have enhanced our protocol when someone is found to have symptoms of a possible COVID-19 infection. These changes are noted in Appendix 9B of the plan.

Message from CSI Pacific CEO – Wendy Pattenden

Masks now required when indoors at all CSI Pacific campuses
Following the lead of Dr. Bonnie Henry, who urges that people wear masks whenever at a public indoor space, CSI Pacific is changing our safety measures and require that all staff and visitors wear a mask whenever indoors at any of our facilities. Exemptions are made for athletes when exerting themselves, but they should also wear masks at all other times they are indoors with us.

Message from CSI Pacific CEO – Wendy Pattenden

As the Province of British Columbia has now moved into Phase 3 of BC’s Restart Plan, CSI Pacific has also now eliminated the 14-day quarantine for inter-provincial travelers returning to our campuses.

We are also extending training slots in the high performance gym from 60 to 90 minutes (when available) in order to allow for proper traffic flow of people, so as to maintain social distancing, and to ensure there is sufficient time to clean the equipment to the necessary standards.

We have added a new appendix, 9B: Protocol for Symptoms of Possible COVID 19 Infection, that includes a flow chart to clearly direct staff on what to do when they have any symptoms.

A complete list of amendments can be found at the end of the final page of the Return To Sport Plan.

CSI Pacific will return to sport Monday, June 15. Please view the following important information.

Message from CSI Pacific CEO – Wendy Pattenden

Our facility reopening will be a careful, step-by-step process to ensure all of our combined efforts and sacrifices in BC are not squandered. We recognize we are operating in a very dynamic environment. We will be reviewing and monitoring our plans regularly as BC moves into the next phase of the RESTART PLAN.

After much discussion with our CMO and other medical experts, CSI Pacific have intentionally decided to take a very cautious approach to our facility re-opening. Currently in our Return to Sport Plan, we have chosen to expand the 14 day quarantine to include out of province travel in addition to international travel. A state of emergency remains in place in the province of BC and our provincial health officer continues to advise people to stay close to home and avoid any travel between communities that is not essential. “British Columbians are encouraged to stay in their own communities and avoid non-essential travel at this time. As the province moves into phase 2 and phase 3 of B.C.’s Restart Plan, more guidance on travel within the province will be provided. This includes trips to smaller communities, cabins and campgrounds.”
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/prevention-risks/travel

We acknowledge that the health of our affiliated athletes is paramount to performance and also closely linked to the health of our communities and staff. We feel that if British Columbians are being asked to NOT travel and stay within our communities, it would seem reasonable that we ask others from outside BC to respect this guideline and do the same. For example, the Resort Municipality of Whistler has a very clear message on their website requesting those not from Whistler to stay home.
https://www.whistler.ca/services/emergency/covid-19-coronavirus

This guideline applies only to athletes and NSO staff that wish to use our training facilities and work with our CSI Pacific staff. We will make swift adjustments to our plan, as the situation evolves.