OC High School Football Resumes With Health Protocols In Place

ORANGE COUNTY, CA —Orange County's high school football and water polo players can once again take to the fields and pools, according to numbers shared by the Orange County Health Care Agency. The new coronavirus adjusted case rate fell to 11.7 Tuesday. That number is well below the 14 case rate per 100,000 residents needed for outdoor contact sports to be played.

After a year of shutdown from competitive play due to coronavirus, high school athletes in the outdoor sports of football and boys and girls water polo can now take part in full practices and regular gameplay, according to a report by Dr. Clayton Chau, director of the Orange County Healthcare Agency.

There are rules to follow to ensure the health and safety of all involved in the teams, according to Chau. Football, according to CIF rules, requires 14 days of practicing before gameplay. Football conditioning could begin as early as Tuesday afternoon, followed by 11 days of practicing in full pads, starting Friday. If teams begin the process immediately, games could start as early as March 11.

CIF Southern Section Commissioner of Athletics Robert Wigod spoke on the news in a recent release.

"Last Friday we received information from the Governor's office and the California Department of Public Health regarding the return to play for outdoor sports," he wrote, before outlining the adjusted case rates as of Tuesday, and changes from Feb. 16.

Currently, San Luis Obispo County, Orange County, and Los Angeles County meet the criteria for return to play while San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, and Kern County are all hovering above the 14 cases or lower criteria.

"Once your county reaches the required threshold, Football, Boys/Girls Water Polo can begin competition," Wigod said.

Football and water polo coaches and athletes will need to conduct COVID-19 testing once a week in order to compete, according to CIF Southern Section.

Athletes competing in high-contact sports are likely to play, unmasked, as face-to-face contact rarely exceeds 15 minutes, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Regular season games, according to the CIF Southern Section, would be over by April 17. Playoffs for football, cross country, water polo are canceled.

"Testing for these sports will be required until the county meets the red tier metrics," they said. It is not yet clear how high schools anticipate managing the testing process.

This is a developing report. Refresh for the latest information.