Fall sports and marching band prohibited in Wyandotte County due to COVID-19
Non-professional fall sports and activities in Wyandotte County will be prohibited by a local health order to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, officials announced Thursday.
The order bans sporting events for football, volleyball, soccer and marching band, which pose a significant COVID-19 risk, according to a news release from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
“We’ve seen how challenging it has been for professional sports such as Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL) and college football conferences to create and enforce protocols designed to protect players and coaches,” Dr. Allen Greiner, chief medical officer for the Unified Government Public Health Department, said in the written statement.
“If these large, extremely well-funded organizations can’t protect their players and coaches, it’s unlikely that local school districts and sports clubs will be able to protect student athletes and athletic staff. That’s why this guidance covers all nonprofessional sports organizations regardless of their organizational type or status.”
The order, which goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, applies to all public and private schools, including higher education and non-professional sports organizations operating in Wyandotte County.
The order allows practice and conditioning for those activities provided that six feet of social distancing is continuously maintained between participants. The limitations also apply to winter sports, including basketball and wrestling.
Sports and activities such as debate, speech, tennis, gymnastic, golf, cross country and other non-contact spirit activities are allowed, provided they adhere to the Kansas State High School Activities Association guidelines.
Masks must be worn by athletes and coaches indoors and outdoors, both during practice and competition, when six feet of social distancing cannot be maintained.
Non-participating individuals attending indoor practices or competitions must maintain social distance and were masks as mandated for indoor functions. Masks must be worn outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained.
Schools and organizations visiting the county for competition must adhere to all Wyandotte County health orders.
The order also limits mass gatherings to 45 persons for all activities and events.
Health officials hope by banning the activities they will be able to prevent a spike in positive COVID-19 cases as well as reduce the possibility of more restrictive measures in the future.
While the county has seen an improvement in its 7-day rolling averages of new positive cases since its peak in July, the coronavirus is still a threat to the community. Case numbers are still high, the positivity rate has not gone down and Wyandotte County still has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the metro area, according to the news release.
Earlier this week, the Kansas City, Kansas, School Board voted to suspend all involvement in KSHSAA fall sports, including football, volleyball, cross country, girls tennis, boys soccer, marching band and spirit squad.
“The decision to suspend sports is not easy because we all understand the emotional impact this decision may have on so many of our students, their families and the range of professionals who work with them,” Randy Lopez, school board president said in the written statement. “Because the health and welfare of our staff, students and their families are paramount, erring on the side of caution is essential.”
Information about testing sites and schedules for those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive can be found at www.wycokck.org/COLVID-19.
