Big Ten Football Season Poses 'Real Challenge,' Pennsylvania Health Secretary Says
Penn State will begin its 2020 Big Ten football season Saturday at Indiana, a state on Pennsylvania's recommended quarantine list for travelers because of COVID-19. Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health, said the situation poses a "challenge" for the team.
"That's a real challenge," Levine said during a news conference Monday. "... We were pleased when the Big Ten initially decided that they were not going to play sports. They’ve since changed their decision, and I think it is a challenge if you’re going to a state that has a significant incidents rate and then you come back, which is why we have certain states on a quarantine list."
Indiana is among 25 states on Pennsylvania's quarantine list. The Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends that travelers who visit those states quarantine for 14 days upon returning.
Levine's response was to a question about Penn State playing its season-opener at Indiana, then hosting Ohio State a week later on Oct 31. Levine acknowledged Penn State's adherence to virus-protection protocols and the Big Ten's daily testing procedures, which she called "beneficial as well."
"But I think the Big Ten playing is a challenge," Levine said.
Indiana recorded 12,762 new positive tests for COVID-19 from Oct. 12-18, according to the Indianapolis Star. Chicago and Ohio also have added Indiana to their recommended quarantine lists, the paper reported.
Levine was not asked about, nor did she mention, Pitt's road game at Miami last weekend. Florida also is listed on Pennsylvania's recommended quarantine list. Pitt hosts Notre Dame on Saturday.
Penn State coach James Franklin has said often since the Big Ten postponed its fall sports seasons in August that he is comfortable with the athletic department's virus-prevention protocols. Franklin said recently that the program is putting together a detailed travel plan for its opening game.
"We’re just trying to do the best we possibly can to make this thing work," Franklin said last week. "Not only how we play on the field and how we scheme and how we coach but the discipline of how we conduct ourselves away from the Lasch Football Building and Beaver Stadium is going to impact what we do on it."
Penn State also is scheduled to visit Nebraska, which is among six Big Ten states on Pennsylvania's recommended quarantine list. The Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Tennessee is on the list as well.
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