The Lincoln County High School girls basketball team and staff have been instructed by the Lincoln County Health Department to suspend all activities for 14 days due to a player from the team testing positive for COVID-19. This protocol mirrors what other districts across the state have done recently when an athlete tests positive for COVID-19.
Teams are limited to working out in small groups (pods). Because of the proximity of the players during conditioning, the entire pod has been asked to quarantine by the LCHD. “This only left a small group of players not being asked to quarantine, and after discussing it with the coaching staff and the LCHD we felt it was best to take extra precaution and suspend all girls basketball activities for 14 days,” explained Athletic Director Tim Estes.
Estes added, “We are working closely with Diane Miller and the health department to follow all safety precautions and protocols. Our main concern is the safety and well-being of our student athletes. If we all do our part, then maybe there is a path to the return of athletics this fall. But these sorts of things are going to happen, so we are going to have to take precautions, and people are going to have to quarantine at times for there to be any chance of games.”
Lincoln County Athletics has closely followed the KHSAA Return to Participation in Sports and Sport-Activities Guidance since returning to on-campus conditioning on June 15th. Some of the safety measures taken:
- Athletes are screened for symptoms before every workout
- Coaches take the temperature of each athlete before practice and document it
- Players bring their own water bottle and use their own equipment when applicable
- Groups must work out in pods of 10 or less
- Non-contact activities only are permitted
- Masks must be worn before and after training
- Proper hygiene is encouraged: frequently washing hands and usage of hand sanitizer
- Refraining from group celebrations
This only pertains to the girls basketball program. Please contact Athletic Director Tim Estes for more information about the girls basketball program and Lincoln County Athletics.