Connecticut student-athletes now know what’ll be asked of them to keep sports going during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has released its COVID-19 mitigation guidance for the fall sports season. In it, the leader of the CIAC “strongly recommends” kids get their shots to maximize in-person learning and participation in extracurricular activities.
“One strategy that is available right now for middle school and high school athletes that will help to ensure that they can have a healthy, safe, and uninterrupted fall sports season is getting vaccinated against COVID19,” Glenn Lungarini, the CIAC’s executive director, wrote as part of the guidance.
If schoolchildren are vaccinated, they’ll be able to stay on the field, even if exposed to the virus, provided they have no symptoms.
Unvaccinated student-athletes who are exposed would be subject to a quarantine of 10 to 14 days. The CIAC also recommends regular COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated players and coaches.
There’s also an indoor masking requirement.
Fall sports include cross-country, field hockey, football, soccer, swimming, and volleyball.
Volleyball student-athletes must play with masks on. Swimmers must wear them at all times except in the water. All others don’t have to put them on during outdoor play, but they do have to mask up if in a locker room.
The CIAC said it is confident, despite the looming impact of the delta variant, it’ll be able to complete the fall sports regular seasons and championships on time.
“The CIAC emphasizes that this plan is fluid and in a perpetual state of evaluation,” Lungarini said in the guidance. “COVID health metrics and data in Connecticut will continue to be closely monitored and the appropriateness of holding youth sport and/or interscholastic athletic contests can change at any time.”
