Michigan State football expects to play its season as scheduled and even host a limited number of fans at Spartan Stadium.
And while the program …
Michigan State football expects to play its season as scheduled and even host a limited number of fans at Spartan Stadium.
And while the program wants to operate as normally as possible, it all will depend on the ability to monitor the spread of the novel coronavirus among its players and coaches this fall.
« Is there a magic number that’s going to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to reevaluate this?’ The answer to that is yes, » Dr. Jeffrey Kovan, MSU director of sports medicine and performance, said in a video conference Thursday, « but I don’t know what the number is yet. That’s a decision that’s probably going to go further up the chain if we have a run of cases that are positive. »
MSU is allowing football, basketball and volleyball players to return to on-campus housing June 14 and will require COVID-19 testing June 15. Once a player tests negative twice over the course of one week, they will be allowed to participate in voluntary workouts. If a player tests positive, they will be quarantined for 10 days.
The COVID-19 test used on athletes is a swab of the nasal cavity, and head athletic trainer Dr. Sally Nogle expects there are « plenty of tests available. »
« We will have positive findings, » Kovan said.
