The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) is postponing all athletic events until Jan. 18, not including practices, due to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases prompted by the fast-spreading omicron variant.
The district athletic directors and safety team met Tuesday and decided the two-week break from games “allows us to better know where we are at with positive cases on our teams,” Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst stated in a notice to school communities Wednesday.
“We have been in contact with Tri-County Athletic League (TCAL) officials, who informed us that other schools are shutting down for two weeks,” Hurst said.
Teams can continue to practice among their cohort (JV, varsity, etc.), “provided they continue to get tested through the district’s existing athletic testing program,” Hurst said.
“Practices are considered a contained event (same players, coaches and routine), which creates the cohort and is considered similar to being in the same household,” the superintendent added.
“While we believe that the student-athlete experience and competition are essential parts of a student’s education, we believe an abundance of caution is needed at this time,” Hurst said.
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WCCUSD to require that staff wear KN-95 masks at school sites | Richmond Standard
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