Five University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa football players tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday, which has led to a decision by the university to quarantine the entire football team.
A total of 81 student-athletes on the squad are now under quarantine out of an “abundance of caution,” according to a UH press release, after a total of eight members of the Rainbow Warriors football team were confirmed positive for the virus since Wednesday, March 31.
UH Football logo. Stock photo.
The student-athletes are quarantining at their places of residence and will be monitored by the athletic department’s medical team and academic support staff. The 13 student-athletes who live on campus will be temporarily relocated off campus Tuesday to quarantine and be cared for. None of the student-athletes who have tested positive have in-person classes this semester or live on campus.
The team started spring practice on March 25, which was initially scheduled to run through April 23. The UH football team announced Monday, April 5, that spring practice and in-person activities were paused as a result of COVID-related protocols. In-person activities are expected to resume on April 14, after the quarantine period is completed. None of the student-athletes who tested positive have experienced severe illness, and they are reportedly doing well.
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UH athletics works closely with the UH Mānoa COVID-19 Response Team and has had strict COVID-19 protocols in place since the start of the pandemic, including mandatory daily health checks, weekly COVID testing, face coverings and safe physical distancing, according to the release.
Athletic facilities are cleaned and disinfected at least once per day, and high-touch areas are cleaned multiple times a day, the release continued. For example, weight machines are cleaned after each individual use. A total of 33 UH student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 since March 2020, with the positivity rate remaining considerably lower than national averages at 0.27%.
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