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The Gophers are not alone in their struggles, as the recent surge in cases across the country has proved. COVID-19 has postponed or canceled more than 115 college football games so far this season. Wisconsin and Maryland both missed two games, as the Gophers will, with outbreaks that peaked at 30 cases. Ohio State and Michigan have recently canceled games with an unspecified number of cases.
That lack of transparency and universal policy has made navigating college football’s COVID-19 spread difficult. For example, the Big Ten Conference does not appear to have a uniform rule for how teams should deal with contact tracing and close contacts. When the Illinois starting quarterback tested positive earlier this season, he sat out the mandatory 21 days for isolation, cardiac testing and recovery, per the conference protocols. But his backup also sat out about 14 days for close contact, the recommended time. Illinois never had to shut down or miss a game..
At this point, though, the Gophers’ outbreak has already raged, making any potential consequences both within and outside of the team irreversible. And daily testing, despite it being one of the strictest protocols in sports and a main reason why the Big Ten decided to un-cancel the season, wasn’t quite the catch-all solution many hoped.
“It certainly helps a lot, but it’s not foolproof,” said Kris Ehresmann, the Minnesota Department of Health infectious disease director. “That’s why I’ll go back to the vaccines as the light at the end of the tunnel."
www.startribune.com
That lack of transparency and universal policy has made navigating college football’s COVID-19 spread difficult. For example, the Big Ten Conference does not appear to have a uniform rule for how teams should deal with contact tracing and close contacts. When the Illinois starting quarterback tested positive earlier this season, he sat out the mandatory 21 days for isolation, cardiac testing and recovery, per the conference protocols. But his backup also sat out about 14 days for close contact, the recommended time. Illinois never had to shut down or miss a game..
At this point, though, the Gophers’ outbreak has already raged, making any potential consequences both within and outside of the team irreversible. And daily testing, despite it being one of the strictest protocols in sports and a main reason why the Big Ten decided to un-cancel the season, wasn’t quite the catch-all solution many hoped.
“It certainly helps a lot, but it’s not foolproof,” said Kris Ehresmann, the Minnesota Department of Health infectious disease director. “That’s why I’ll go back to the vaccines as the light at the end of the tunnel."
As Gophers football emerges from COVID outbreak, unanswered questions haunt
'Ghost in room' led to major disruption here and elsewhere. Answers missing.
www.startribune.com