Pac-12 football programs return to campus under strict rules

The great lengths we have taken to return to normalcy across the country have been mind-blowing. The country is slow re-opening and getting back to a somewhat normal every-day life though many businesses and companies maintain strict rules of safety and precautionary measures to ensure they’re limiting the chance that coronavirus will once again run rampant.

The Pac-12 conference is no different and as of June 15, each of the member institutions were to have re-opened their practice facilities to voluntary athletic activities. While the state of California did not allow such a procedure, the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal had to sit idly by and watch as the rest of the eight schools in the conference did in fact welcome back their college football players.

And thanks to LA Times writer Brady McCollough, we now know the great lengths that schools like Washington went to to test their players and ensure they’re players are going to be safe upon their return.

Written on June 15, McCollough addressed all the matters at hand and gave a step-by-step journey through Washington’s process that includes testing upon arrival and the main points of emphasis, those being:

— Schools consistently educate players about COVID-19 prevention.

— Players wear a mask and keep social distance at all times on campus.

— Players complete diagnostic testing upon return.

— Players are grouped into “cohorts” or “pods” of 10 or fewer for workouts (Washington is starting with five) for easier tracing of contacts, and to protect against an outbreak if there’s a positive case.

— Players won’t share equipment and will disinfect workout apparatus.

— Testing frequency will ramp up to at least weekly once players move into a phase where they are in closer contact and considered “high risk” for exposure.

— Schools remain flexible depending on what is happening with the virus in society and maintain communication with local health officials.

McCollough also listed all of the previous colleges that have opened and their COVID-19 testing results from across the country in the in-depth piece.

Check out the full article by McCollough that addresses all the aforementioned data and much, much more here, for free on the LA Times: Pac-12 football teams return to campus under rigid rules