Iowa Reports One Positive COVID-19 Test

A total of 237 athletes, coaches and staff were tested as athletic facilities reopen.

As Iowa's athletic facilities open for voluntary workouts, the athletic department reported on Monday that there was one positive COVID-19 test.

Iowa's campus and the athletic facilities were closed in mid-March when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Testing for a return began May 29, with 237 tests conducted.

The statement did not identify whether it was an athlete, coach or staff member.

Iowa's statement said:

"Following the positive test result, protocol established by UI Athletics and medical staff, including contract tracing procedures, is being followed to ensure the safety of all UI Athletics student-athletes and staff. This mandatory protocol also includes isolation for the individuals who test positive, and quarantine for those individuals who might have been exposed to someone with the virus."

“Our medical staff has established our procedures and is leading our procedures in addressing positive test results,” Iowa athletics director Gary Barta said in a statement. “The safety of all student-athletes and staff is critical. We have anticipated and planned for positive test results.”

Barta said in a video conference with the media last month that it was likely that there would be athletes, coaches or staff who would test positive for the virus.

"It's not a matter of if someone gets the virus," Barta said. "It's a matter of when. And the answer is ... and please, I’ll present this in a way, and when it comes out, I hope it comes out the right way … if one person were to get sick, and we were to shut down, we might as well not open up.

“And let me just explain myself. We expect that there will be students on this campus, there will be staff on this campus, who will get the virus. We will have medical plans on the treatment of those students, or those faculty (members), or those staff, just like the community has. And we will manage it with contact tracing, making sure that we’re aware of where that person was, and then going through a protocol to return. That’s the way it’s going to be approached — not if, but when someone gets the virus, student or staff, having a plan in place.”