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These are the measures UT has in place to protect its athletes from COVID-19

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These are the measures UT has in place to protect its athletes from COVID-19

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Training camps for Longhorn football, soccer and volleyball began this week, and the University of Texas at Austin outlined the measures it’s taking to keep athletes safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“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,” said Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. “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.”

COVID-19 testing

UT began proactive testing for student-athletes, starting with the football team during its voluntary, off-season workouts in June and then adding in basketball, volleyball and soccer. The university says it’s done a total of 457 tests, and 17 came up positive. An additional 10 student-athletes who showed symptoms were also tested and also positive.

It plans to test all remaining student-athletes, as well as get them physicals and orientation Aug. 20-25.

The athletic department said in a release that in the past three weeks it’s done 153 tests and none of them have been positive. UT said earlier this week it planned to test as many as 5,000 people each week on campus as part of its safety plan for when school starts.

As practices begin, UT says it plans to increase testing for athletes, and test coaches and staff according to NCAA guidelines. The athletic department says those in high-risk sports will be tested twice a week at a minimum, while “medium and low-risk sports, and out-of-season sports, will be subject to surveillance testing at a frequency appropriate for the level of risk; testing will occur as close to competition as practicable.”

Sports medicine staff will collect samples, and St. David’s Health Care personnel will provide quality control. It’s using a third-party and help from campus health to test the student-athletes. Teams will work with campus health officials to do contract tracing on anyone who is presumed to be positive, even if results have not come back.

There will be “strict self-isolation guidelines for student-athletes who test positive, and self-quarantine guidelines for those determined to be high-risk close contacts.”

Day-to-day changes

All student-athletes, coaches and staff have a mandatory symptom screening each day, and anyone who tests positive or has symptoms will be immediately isolated. The athletic department also plans to take their temperatures when they arrive at facilities.

According to the release, each team is provided education and information sessions about COVID-19 and guidebooks for the department’s policies. It also says athletes or concerned staff can report violations with the steps already in place, and it will use “technology to detect if an individual is non-compliant with wearing a face covering; face coverings are mandatory in all campus buildings.”

Student financial aid

The athletic department says any student-athlete with an athletic scholarship can keep them if they opt out of participating because of COVID-19. If the season is canceled, students will also keep their aid.

UT says it will not use COVID-19 liability waivers for student-athletes, but will pursue a medical hardship waiver for anyone who gets COVID-19 and cannot participate for the rest of the season.

“Texas Athletics provides coverage of medical claims for student-athletes during the period in which he/she is enrolled; and provides extended medical benefits for two years after departure from campus,” the release said.

Setting up safety guidelines

The Student-Athlete Return to Campus task force created health and safety protocols for Texas Athletics. Texas Athletics’ trainers are working with University Health Services, UT Health Austin and Dell Medical School public health officials to monitor the safety measures.

UT’s Sports Medicine and Strength and Conditioning staffs monitor all team activities and will work to update health and safety guidelines based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, NCAA and Big 12 Conference.

“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 and 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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