Hello Families and Friends,

From the time that Alaska was notified that we would have the opportunity to have a 2020-2021 hockey season, AHA has taken the lead in creating and implementing COVID policy. Prior to the start of the season the Anchorage Hockey Association worked in the conjunction with the Municipality of Anchorage to help open the rinks in a safe manner. The incubation period for the virus is thought to be 2-14 days which means that the infected people were infected before their attendance at our tournament, and had no idea that they were infected. Although there were individuals that were asymptomatic at the event, we are positive that this was rolling through the hockey community and was not caused by the tournament, nor does it show that anything was done wrong in hosting this event. Furthermore, it has come to light that there are multiple teams that were not at this tournament and have tested positive for COVID 19.

Prior to the tournament, the Anchorage Hockey Association had established rules and mitigation procedures in accordance with the CDC, Alaska State Health Department and the medical professionals designated to advise the Anchorage Hockey Association Board Members. Those mitigation procedures included:

1. COVID-19 screening completed by the individual teams
2. Requirement of face coverings to be worn by all persons in the facilities
3. Constant cleaning of all surfaces with chemical deemed safe and effective to counter the COVID-19 virus.
4. Designated social distancing points were identified to keep spectators at least 6 feet apart.
5. Designated a committee of Medical Professionals to advise the Anchorage Hockey Association Board and Staff.

At no time did the capacity of the facility reach 25% of the total capacity of over 700 persons.

Since the outbreak, the Anchorage Hockey Association has taken the lead in helping all the teams mitigate the spread of the virus. We have also led the way in setting COVID policy across the Hockey community. The following actions have been taken in house to prevent/mitigate the further spread of the COVID-19 virus.

1.  We identified teams that had positive cases and contact with persons that tested positive for the virus. All teams that have participated in the tournament have been quarantined since Tuesday, October 6th and have been advised to get tested for the virus.
2. On Tuesday, October 6th, the Anchorage Hockey Association was notified of positive asymptomatic COVID cases that participated in or were associated with the tournament. AHA immediately notified all persons associated with the tournament about the possible spread of the virus.
3. Multiple Divisions within AHA have been quarantined as a preventative measure to limit the spread of the virus.
4. We have ceased all team activity until further notice.
5. The Anchorage Hockey Association is being advised of further actions necessary by our appointed committee of Medical Professionals.

Moving forward:

AHA has put out a policy that is in line with the current CDC guideline. This is to say that hockey will be a lot different for the foreseeable future. For a copy of the policy, you can contact anchoragehockeyoffice@gmail.com