I hope this finds you all doing well, trying to stay positive and working as hard as you can to keep fit under the current circumstances! There has been no update from SOBC this week so our programs are still all suspended until further notice.

Now is the time to get creative with your fitness and skills practices! From running up and down the stairs in your house to figuring out how to make a makeshift bowling alley out of empty cans or bottles and a soccer ball, there are plenty of things you can do in your own home to stay fit. SOBC has plenty of information on their web page here: https://www.specialolympics.ca/british-columbia/athlete-health-resources

All the best,
Geoff

Summary: All SO activities (meetings, courses, competitions, programs, etc.) suspended until at least April 30th. For updates on COVID-19 go here: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/common-questions?utm_campaign=20200313_GCPE_AM_COVID_2__ADW_BCGOV_EN_BC__TEXT.

I hope this email finds you well during this difficult time and that you’re doing your best to stay positive and active! Special Olympics is a wonderful and unique group and I know we will support each other as much as possible over the coming weeks.

Attached is a calendar (click here to view) that athletes (and coaches) can use to help stay active while practicing social distancing or self isolation and you can also read the latest update from SOBC. If you have any questions about either or just want to reach out please contact myself or one of your coaches.

I intend to post an update once a week on Fridays (big thanks to Norm, Dave and Angela for helping me with this!) whether or not there have been any changes to our programs. If you have anything you would like me to include in these updates that would be beneficial to our community please contact me at SO.Nanaimo.Local.Coordinator. If you know of any athletes or coaches that don’t have access to the internet please pass this message on to them.

For those of you in the TL;DR crowd there will be a bold summary statement at the top of each post (like this one!).

All the best,

Geoff

We know many members of this amazing community feel Special Olympics BC is a huge part of their lives. We feel the very same. But in order to limit any possible risk to members of our community, Special Olympics BC is making the difficult decision to pause all community weekly training, all competitions, and
all face to face fundraising events from March 13 to March 31, 2020.

Based upon what is unfolding in the greater community in terms of suspension of activities, we feel the decision to temporarily suspend Special Olympics BC activities is prudent. At this time, the Public Health Agency of Canada has assessed the public health risk associated with COVID-19 as low for the general population in Canada, but this could change rapidly. There is an increased risk of more severe outcomes for the following Canadians: aged 65 and over, with compromised immune systems, and with underlying medical conditions.

Special Olympics BC will continue to follow the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation daily, and will communicate further with members.

We will assess, address, and communicate what the postponement of the Regional Qualifiers in this period means for qualifying for the 2021 SOBC Summer Games. Please stay tuned for further information. We
commend and thank all the athletes who have been training hard for these competitions, and all the volunteers and families who have been working so hard to plan them.

To help athletes stay active during this hiatus, everyone can check out the at-home training and health resources on the Special Olympics BC website. We will also continue our social media posts celebrating Special Olympics BC members as well as sharing wellness reminders and resources. So please do feel free to suggest everyone can talk with us on social media to stay connected and encouraged!

Thank you for your patience at this time. The health and safety of Special Olympics BC program and event participants remain our top priorities.

The BC Centre for Disease Control says the most important things you can do to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses are to:
 Wash your hands often with soap and water.
 Avoid touching your face.
 Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
 Avoid others who are unwell, and if you are sick yourself, stay away from others.

Contact your health-care provider ahead of time so you can be safely assessed. These are all general precautions that should always be observed in cold and flu season, but we are taking the time to remind ourselves and everyone now, in light of the heightened awareness of this topic.

If you have SO Nanaimo stories, results and pictures to share for the newsletter please send them to SOnewsnanaimo. Feedback on the newsletter always welcome!

At this time we are not postponing or cancelling any Special Olympics BC programs or events, since the Public Health Agency of Canada states that the public health risk associated with COVID-19 is currently low for Canada.

The BC Centre for Disease Control says the most important things you can do to prevent coronavirus, COVID-19, and other illnesses are to wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face.

The BC Centre for Disease Control recommends following the same advice that public health officials suggest for the cold and flu season:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid others who are unwell, and if you are sick yourself, stay away from others. Contact your health-care provider ahead of time so you can be safely assessed.

These are all general precautions that should always be observed in cold and flu season, but we are taking the time to remind ourselves and everyone now, in light of the heightened awareness of this topic.

As best practices in this cold and flu season, we kindly remind all coaches, athletes, and families to do the following at programs:

• Please remind all participants to regularly wash their hands with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds – try singing the Happy Birthday song twice!
• If you feel sick, please do not attend a practice or event. Your health comes first!
• If an athlete or coach arrives at a program sick, the Head Coach should ask that participant to return home – or if they can’t immediately do so, please give them isolated space where they are not touching others.
• If a sick person can’t attend an event, but wants to stay active, please encourage them to check out the at-home training and health resources on the Special Olympics BC website.
• Please discourage high fives or handshakes – everyone loves a celebratory elbow bump instead!

Special Olympics BC recommends using B.C. and Canadian health authorities for information on COVID-19, including:

• The BC Centre for Disease Control
• The Public Health Agency of Canada
• Your Regional Health Authority

We will have upcoming social media posts with wellness reminders and resources in order to help the Special Olympics family and everyone stay well this cold and flu season!

If you have SO Nanaimo stories, results and pictures to share for the newsletter please send them to SOnewsnanaimo. Feedback on the newsletter always welcome!

Special Olympics Nanaimo
March Newsletter

Arianna and Jason are back from the Winter National games with great results, friendships and stories from their time in Thunder Bay. To read a story on their experience please click here.