Guidelines for the return of sports released by the NCAA on Thursday include recommendations for weekly COVID-19 testing for athletes and two-week quarantines for close contacts with positive cases.
In an extensive set of recommendations released on Thursday, the NCAA has encouraged conferences and schools to implement guidelines that include testing athletes within 72 hours of competition in high-contact sports, mandating 10-day quarantines for athletes and staff who test positive and 14-day quarantines for those who had close contact with others who tested positive, and requiring the use of face coverings whenever appropriate.
The NCAA is recommending that schools use conduct PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing, the preferred method of testing, to test all athletes – and other “inner bubble” personnel for whom physical distancing, masking and other protective features are not maintained – each week during the season in high contact risk sports, including basketball, field hockey, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, rugby, soccer, squash, volleyball, water polo, wrestling.