When the Pac-12 made the decision to postpone sports until January, one of the requirements for resumption was improved testing speed.
The conference has made what it considers a “major step” in that area, announcing Thursday that it has entered an agreement with Quidel Corporation to implement “up to daily COVID-19 testing” for student-athletes across all of its campuses.
The Pac-12’s release says Quidel will deliver testing machines and tests to each of the league’s athletic departments by the end of September.
The testing machine is said to yield results “within minutes”, meaning athletes who are infected can be immediately removed from practice or competition, significantly reducing or eliminating the potential for an outbreak.