Emporia State temporarily shuts down sports practices following COVID-19 cluster
Emporia State University announced Wednesday that it has temporarily suspended all athletic activities after a number of positive COVID-19 tests linked to student-athletes.
The decision will not affect any competitions, as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced on Aug. 14 that it has suspended all fall sports in the conference until 2021.
What it does mean is that all ESU sports teams still practicing must halt after Lyon County Public Health alerted the university on Tuesday that it was investigating a suspected cluster of five cases connected to the ESU baseball team.
In a news release Wednesday, ESU said a total of 14 student-athletes out of more than 400 spread across all teams had tested positive for COVID-19.
“This could not be a wait-and-see situation,” said ESU president Allison D. Garrett in a statement. “We must work together to stop further spread for the benefit of our entire campus community - students, faculty and staff.”
According to the release, ESU will allow academic meetings to continue and the random testing of student-athletes will also continue. ESU will continue to monitor the results and evaluate the situation.
“We believe some of these cases came through social interactions,” Garrett said. “We also know from our own records that we have other cases of COVID-19 on campus that are not clustered and not connected to athletics.
“It is imperative that everyone connected to campus follow the guidance we have already provided. Wear face masks, practice social distance of at least six feet and good hygiene like washing hands.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 7:07 PM with the headline "Emporia State temporarily shuts down sports practices following COVID-19 cluster."
.jpg)