Thread by @doctorow

Sport leagues all over the world are wrestling (!) with how and when to reopen. Mostly they're doing a terrible job, with one amazing, shining exception: roller-derby.

The @WFTDA's guidelines, developed by a group of athlete-experts, are amazing.

static.wftda.com/files/covid-19…

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As @cragcrest writes in @wired, the plan has won praise from epidemiologists for "its specific and data-based benchmarks, for its grounding in science and 'basic infection-control principles.'"

wired.com/story/womens-r…

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Its obvious superiority has attracted attention from all sorts of sports leagues, all over the world.

Most importantly is its relationship to local infection conditions, using local public health guidelines as benchmarks for seven stages of re-opening for Derby.

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Tier 1 ("limited group practices...with no physical contact between players") is permissible when health authorities lift "stay-at-home orders or proximity restrictions," permit "public congregations of at least 50 people" where "public transportation is fully functional."

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Beyond that, Tier 1 can only occur when there have been fewer than 5 positive cases per 10,000 people for at least 14 days.

Each tier steps through its own benchmarks, but even more importantly, new conditions automatically trigger reversion to stricter tiers.

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Included in the guidelines are rules for when and how audiences can return to matches, praised by @EmoryUniversity epidemiologist @zbinney_NFLinj: "It’s so nice to see a clear, unambiguously right take."

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While the guidelines are highly specific and thoughtful, the principles that guide them are admirably succinct: "See what’s happening, take small steps, step off whenever something is concerning." - Biostatistician @MikaelaKosich (derby name: Bubble Wrath).

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