Texas Longhorns COVID-19 Safety Measures Working So Far
The Texas Longhorns athletic department once again reported no new positive COVID-19 tests among "onboarded" teams.
Since the university started bringing back student athletes, it has administered 457 total tests looking for signs of the novel coronavirus. Among those 17 returned positive for COVID-19 PCR test results. Along with that group 10 additional student athletes were tested as a result of COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive.
Among the five teams already through the "onboarding" process (football, volleyball, soccer, men's basketball and women's basketball) no student athlete has tested positive in the past three weeks.
“Our number one priority will always be our student-athletes,” said Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. “Their health and safety is paramount, and our Texas Athletics team has been working tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to not only put the guidelines, procedures and protocols in place to provide the safest environment possible, but also to educate, train and prepare them for all of the best practices to avoid the spread of the virus. We have five of our teams on campus now, and we are so proud of how they have managed this very challenging time, and we’re continuing to prepare them for all that is ahead. Most importantly, at the end of the day, we want our student-athletes, every single one of them, to be in the best environment possible and continue to have every possible resource necessary to excel at the very high level they are accustomed to.
“We’re so proud of the how our entire Texas Athletics team has managed this health crisis, but most importantly, the trust and understanding our medical team has established with our student-athletes, coaches and teams. They are on top of everything, constantly communicating, helping to educate and answering every question, while providing all the tools to help the student-athletes take care of themselves and those around them. It’s just been a truly awesome effort all the way around.”
The university plans to continue to ramp up efforts for the safety of athletes as regular students begin to return to the Forty Acres. The athletic department is providing education, mandatory daily symptom screening (including temperature checks), mandatory face coverings and immediate isolation and contact tracing for any athlete who does test positive through the course of the year.
“Our current situation reflects the commitment our student-athletes have demonstrated in keeping themselves and their teammates healthy,” said Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for Performance, Health, & Wellness Allen Hardin. “It’s this commitment that will ultimately drive our success. We’ve asked for significant changes in behavior, which are a departure from what they are accustomed to, and they’ve continued to rise to the occasion. Our medical team, coaches, and staff are wholly focused on providing every resource available to ensure the health and safety of all our student-athletes.”
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