Big Ten Conference Releases COVID-19 Medical Protocols

Football required to test twice per week, mandatory 14-day quarantine period in effect for positive contacts.

The Big Ten Conference released its 2020 football schedule Wednesday afternoon in the event a season can be held. Accompanying the slate of games (10 for each team) was a set of COVID-19 medical protocols.

These following protocols/guidelines for ALL SPORTS have been jointly authored by the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases in collaboration with the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee.

COVID-19 Virus Testing Bulletin:

• All sports will be required to test a minimum of once weekly, while sports with high contact risk will be required to test a minimum of twice weekly

• Required testing frequency is based upon the level of contact risk within the sport and is required for student-athletes as well as coaches and additional staff members

• The Conference will coordinate centralized testing through a third-party testing laboratory for consistency in surveillance and pre-competition testing

• The required testing, at this time, for COVID-19 must use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing

• Institutions may supplement the required Conference testing with additional testing performed for surveillance or clinical purposes

COVID-19 Quarantine & Isolation Bulletin:

* Areas referenced by this bulletin include:

* Surveillance methods, including symptom questionnaires, clinical evaluations, testing and contact tracing

* Definition of close contact of COVID-19 positive/suspected infection

* Quarantine: 14 days required per current national guidelines, without ability to test out of quarantine

* Return to play protocols after a close contact o Response to a Presumed Infection

* Definition of a Person Under Investigation, including in the pre-competition, in-competition and post-competition timeframes o Response to a Confirmed Infection, including both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases

SEE THE ENTIRE BIG TEN RELEASE/TESTING DOCUMENT HERE

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