Bellone: 'High-Risk' Sports Can Resume In Suffolk County

SMITHTOWN, NY — Suffolk student-athletes will soon be able to return to competition, as the Suffolk County Health Department issued guidance for "high-risk sports," Executive Steve Bellone announced Monday.

Sports including basketball, football, wrestling and lacrosse could come back as soon as Feb. 1 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo lifted the indefinite suspension he placed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo on Friday gave New York municipalities the right to decide whether they would allow kids to return to organized sports.

Bellone, a father of three children who play sports, said he knows how important competition is to youths; including roughly 21,500 student-athletes who will be competing in Suffolk County.

"I, literally [Sunday] night watching the Bills game with my son, was tossing the football back and forth — his mother was upstairs — from one couch to the other, because he just wants to play," Bellone told reporters. "Kids want to play. We know the health benefits of sports to our kids, so if we can get them back on the field in a safe way, we know it would bring great benefits to them and to all of the kids who have been missing playing."

Guidance from the county's health department was put forward following consultation with the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, Section XI and labor unions.

Students and coaches will be required to take weekly coronavirus tests, get their temperature taken before practices and games, attest that they do not have any symptoms of COVID-19, and maintain attendance logs. Sports were also encouraged to be played and practice outdoors where possible, with masks being worn when possible — especially on the sidelines. Other measures include social distancing among sidelined athletes, handwashing or sanitation before and after practice or games, and minimal equipment sharing.

The county will provide free rapid tests to school districts, and school nurses will administer the weekly testing. Suffolk County is slated to receive an initial allocation from New York state for 20,000 rapid tests and will continue to seek additional tests to provide to schools.

Should a student-athlete test positive for the coronavirus, they will be required to isolate for 10 days, and each coach would be required to supply information to the Suffolk County Health Department for a comprehensive case and contact tracing investigation.

Parks across the county will now be available to cross country teams in need of outdoor space, as the locations were previously unavailable due to the pandemic, Bellone announced.

Bellone acknowledged that the pandemic has been a struggle for everyone and recalled when Suffolk County was, in March, "the epicenter in many ways" of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. The numbers were flattened before a second wave hit during the holidays, Bellone said.

"Fortunately, after the holiday season ended, we started to see those numbers come back down," Bellone said. "We have a lot of work to do to get there. We know there are still challenges ahead. We know the U.K. variant; that strain of the virus is here in Suffolk County. That is a concern to us. This is not over. We know there are still challenges ahead. We know we are going to be dealing with this virus for some time. What we have learned in dealing with this virus is that when we come together and work together, we make progress. We can overcome. We can get through this."

With the return of organized sports on the horizon, Bellone is asking students to take the "Champion of the Community Pledge."

"This is in recognition of the responsibility that we respect, that we expect — and that we teach our kids," he said.

The Suffolk Community Champion Pledge asks student-athletes to:

• Stay safe, healthy and informed of COVID -19 updates both on and off the field
• Unite with team members and school community to have a memorable season
• Follow face mask, hygiene and social distancing guidelines
• Follow all of the additional health and safety requirements of the school. This may include participating in testing, self-quarantining, and contact tracing.
• Operate in a healthy environment and complete daily health attestations
• Lead by example and support members of the team who may be experiencing physical and mental health challenges
• Know that [they are] a role model for team members and community