COVID-19 Protocols
Last update: 8/12/2022
Thank you for cooperation to keep our swimmers, families, coaches, and facility staff safe. Our protocols have been updated to reflect recent changes regarding masks and other policies as determined by the CDC.
Protocols at Practices:
All Capital Area Aquatics locations are following the protocols from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and from USA Swimming. This page will be updated as necessary to comply with all public health orders.
Masks are optional at our practices for all individuals. We will continue to support those who wish to continue wearing masks.
Parents may watch practices from the picnic tables near the front entrance at CAA-CP location, or from outside the fence at the CAA-LW location, but we ask that parents continue to distance from swimmer groups, and, as always, we ask all parents to stay off the pool deck during practices and avoid talking with the coaches and swimmers during practices. We define the "pool deck" as the area 10-15 feet around the pool's edge.
The coaches will observe swimmers as they arrive at practices. If a swimmer appears to be ill or not feeling well, please understand that we may ask them to return home. This includes colds, allergies, etc.
Swimmers who exhibit symptoms or report being in close contact with someone with covid should follow current CDC protocols.
Swimmers need to bring their gear home each day.
The coaches will encourage swimmers to be mindful of the personal space of their teammates.
Specific protocols for the CAA Lakeway location:
- Parents may walk swimmers into practice but then parents need to exit and watch practice from outside the fence, so we can limit the number of people around our swimmers and Swim Center patrons. Please pick up your swimmer at the front entrance at the end of practice.
Specific protocols for the CAA Cedar Park location:
- Parents may be inside the facility, but must remain at the front near the entrance.
Protocols for swimmers who have been exposed to a positive Covid-19 patient should follow the general guidelines below.
What counts as close contact?
- You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 total minutes or more in any 24 hour period
- You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
- You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them)
- You shared eating or drinking utensils
- They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you
What to do if you were exposed or tested positive, per CDC updates:
The revised guidelines from the CDC (8/11/22) are posted below. Please do not bring swimmers to practice if they are showing any signs of illness, including allergies or other respiratory issues.
The day of symptom onset or a positive test result OR the day of exposure to someone with Covid is day ZERO and not day ONE, so in some circumstances, you may be around others on day SIX. The protocol recommends an individual to wear a mask on days 6-10 while around others.
What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19
If you have tested positive or are showing symptoms of COVID-19, isolate immediately.
About Being Exposed to COVID-19
If you were exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 or have been told by a healthcare provider or public health authority that you were exposed, here are the steps that you should take, regardless of your vaccination status or if you have had a previous infection. Learn how COVID-19 spreads and the factors that make risk of spread higher or lower.
After Being Exposed to COVID-19
Wear a mask as soon as you find out you were exposed
Start counting from Day 1
- Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19
- Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure
Wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) any time you are around others inside your home or indoors in public 1
- Do not go places where you are unable to wear a mask, including travel and public transportation settings.
Take extra precautions if you will be around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19.
- fever (100.4°F or greater)
- cough
- shortness of breath
- other COVID-19 symptoms
If you develop symptoms
- isolate immediately
- get tested
- stay home until you know the result
If your test result is positive, follow the isolation recommendations.
Test even if you don’t develop symptoms.
If you already had COVID-19 within the past 90 days, see specific testing recommendations.
Continue taking precautions through day 10
- Wear a high-quality mask when around others at home and indoors in public
You can still develop COVID-19 up to 10 days after you have been exposed.
Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19
If you were exposed to COVID-19, you should start taking precautions.
This information is intended for a general audience. Healthcare professionals should see Ending Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19. This CDC guidance is meant to supplement—not replace—any federal, state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations.
If you have COVID-19, you can spread the virus to others. There are precautions you can take to prevent spreading it to others: isolation, masking, and avoiding contact with people who are at high risk of getting very sick. Isolation is used to separate people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 from those without COVID-19.
These recommendations do not change based on COVID-19 Community Levels. If you have COVID-19, also see additional information on treatments that may be available to you.
For Healthcare Professionals: Ending Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19
Regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate from others when you have COVID-19. You should also isolate if you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results. If your results are positive, follow the full isolation recommendations below. If your results are negative, you can end your isolation.
You can end your isolation
Follow the full isolation recommendations below
When you have COVID-19, isolation is counted in days, as follows:
If you had no symptoms
- Day 0 is the day you were tested (not the day you received your positive test result)
- Day 1 is the first full day following the day you were tested
- If you develop symptoms within 10 days of when you were tested, the clock restarts at day 0 on the day of symptom onset
If you had symptoms
- Day 0 of isolation is the day of symptom onset, regardless of when you tested positive
- Day 1 is the first full day after the day your symptoms started
If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home for at least 5 days and isolate from others in your home. You are likely most infectious during these first 5 days.
- Wear a high-quality mask if you must be around others at home and in public.
- Do not go places where you are unable to wear a mask, including travel and public transportation settings.
- Stay home and separate from others as much as possible.
- Use a separate bathroom, if possible.
- Take steps to improve ventilation at home, if possible.
- Don’t share personal household items, like cups, towels, and utensils.
- Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (like trouble breathing), seek emergency medical care immediately.
- Learn more about what to do if you have COVID-19.
End isolation based on how serious your COVID-19 symptoms were.
If you had no symptoms
You may end isolation after day 5.
If you had symptoms
You may end isolation after day 5 if:
- You are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication)
- Your symptoms are improving
If you still have fever or your other symptoms have not improved, continue to isolate until they improve.
If you had moderate illness (if you experienced shortness of breath or had difficulty breathing), or severe illness (you were hospitalized) due to COVID-19-, or you have a weakened immune system, you need to isolate through day 10.
If you had severe illness or have a weakened immune system, consult your doctor before ending isolation. Ending isolation without a viral test may not be an option for you.
If you are unsure if your symptoms are moderate or severe or if you have a weakened immune system, talk to a healthcare provider for further guidance.
Regardless of when you end isolation, avoid being around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 until at least day 11. Remember to wear a high-quality mask when indoors around others at home and in public and not go places where you are unable to wear a mask until you are able to discontinue masking (see below).
Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation.
After you have ended isolation, when you are feeling better (no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms improving),
- Wear your mask through day 10.
OR
- If you have access to antigen tests, you should consider using them. With two sequential negative tests 48 hours apart, you may remove your mask sooner than day 10.
Note: If your antigen test results1 are positive, you may still be infectious. You should continue wearing a mask and wait at least 48 hours before taking another test. Continue taking antigen tests at least 48 hours apart until you have two sequential negative results. This may mean you need to continue wearing a mask and testing beyond day 10.
After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms recur or worsen, restart your isolation at day 0. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have questions about your symptoms or when to end isolation.
[1] As noted in the Food and Drug Administration labeling for authorized over-the-counter antigen tests, negative test results do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or patient management decisions, including infection control decisions.
