A Brief Status of Puerto Rico Tennis in COVID-19 times
Image from Puerto Rico Tennis Association Facebook Page
Puerto Rico’s first response to COVID-19 pandemic was to put in place on one of the most stricts lockdowns since March 15, 2020. As of today, there’s a curfew in force that allows citizens to go out from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to buy food, medicines, visit doctors, and others. As to exercise and outdoor activities, Governor’s Wanda Vázquez-Garced Executive Order 2020-038 only authorizes running, jogging, cycling, and walking alone or with kids between 5:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. No sports have been authorized to resume activities. As of May 17, 2020 the official Puerto Rico government statistics regarding COVID-19 cases are the following: 2,646 positive COVID-19 cases, and 123 deaths related to COVID-19.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) Recreational Leagues are very popular in Puerto Rico since its tennis community is very active and competitive. As a member of that tennis community myself, I’ve witnessed a lot of players, coaches, and owners of tennis academies claiming on social networks that tennis be included in the authorized outdoor activities. However, the executive orders in place require that all sports and recreational facilities remain closed.
Screen capture from San Patricio Tennis Academy Facebook page
The Puerto Rico Tennis Association (PRTA) has been keeping its members informed of the status of the orders that affect the return to court. Through their Facebook page, they’ve also been sharing a lot of content from puertorrican coaches with drills and exercises to keep tennis players engaged, active and practicing.
In an effort to persuade the governor that tennis was ready to restart, on April 29, 2020 the PRTA published “Guidelines for Returning to Court” since the executive order that required sports facilities to remain closed was effective until May 3, 2020. The PRTA sent these guidelines along with a letter to the governor proposing the reopening of some tennis activities on the island.
However, the new executive order signed by the governor didn’t authorize the reopening of sports and recreational facilities. So, tennis still can’t be played here in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, in Europe -a place where the pandemic was far worse- more countries are authorizing the return of tennis with some restrictions.
A note from Noticel informs that on May 15, 2020, Adriana Sánchez Parés, Secretary of the Recreation and Sports Department (DRD, by its acronym in Spanish), presented a plan for the gradual return of sports and recrerational activities. The plan was submitted to the Department of Health and the Medical Task Force that has been advising the governor on all issues relating to COVID-19 and consists of four phases:
First phase recommended to be implemented in May 26, 2020: individual activities permitted will be extended to include surfing, paddleboarding, kayaking, swimming in open waters. Golf could be considered with some restrictions.
Second phase recommended to be implemented on June 10, 2020: group training can resume with the restriction of only 6 people per trainer. This will apply only to professional athletes so they can train with their respective trainers. Sánchez stated that this second phase would benefit spots like track and field, weightlifting, and small groups from voleyball and basketball, among others. In this second phase, Sánchez plans to recommend a limited reopening of gyms.
Third phase recommended to be implemented on June 25, 2020: group training will be permitted for complete teams of baseball and soccer, among others. In this phase, the opening of pools, saunas, parks and running tracks will be recommended.
Fourth phase recommended to be implemented on July 17, 2020: the restart of professional leagues and boxing will be permitted without public and for TV and internet transmission working groups of no more than 10 people.
With some restrictions, tennis is among the most suitable sports to be on the first group to resume play in these COVID-19 times. Doubles matches can be authorized to be played with teams composed by members of the same household. Singles represent less of a problem. Individual tennis classes can also resume without posing much of a risk. Court rental fees and income from classes, even if it’s only individual classes, can help instructors, tennis clubs and tennis club owners to keep afloat in these challenging times.
We hope that tennis is included in the first phase of this plan designed by the DRD. The sport has been prohibited for too long without a real justification when you consider that it is a sport where you don’t have contact with your opponent and the fact that there are only 2,646 positive COVID-19 cases in Puerto Rico as stated by the Department of Health. As of now, waiting is the only thing that we can do. We hope to return to the tennis court really soon!!