Athletic Event Protocol

On Tuesday, January 11th, Central students were sent an email regarding the new athletic event protocol which went into effect that day, starting with the boys basketball game against Centennial that evening.

Outlined in the email was the new expectation that “all spectators must provide either proof of vaccination or a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken within the previous 48 hours prior to attending an event; at-home tests are not approved for this”.

The email stated that, as always, “all spectators must wear a mask at all times. Spectators refusing to comply will be asked to leave the event”.

It also credited the new protocol as being “due to the high transmission of COVID-19 in our community”.

These new protocols are only in effect for indoor sports. According to the CDC, “the risk of transmission after contact with an individual with COVID-19 increases with the closeness and duration of contact and appears highest with prolonged contact in indoor settings”.

When asked how the first event following the new protocol went, Central Athletic Director Jane Stillman said, “we were well organized and did not seem to have issues with the guidelines”. However, Stillman reported that the game “did not reach the maximum number of spectators that could have been at the game. This could have been for many reasons. This season we have not had the number of spectators we typically did in past years at any basketball game”. Central athletics hope to continue to keep both players and spectators safe at all indoor games throughout the winter and spring seasons.