GHSA releases football health and safety recommendations
ATLANTA - The GHSA is not requiring masks for coaches and athletes who participate in football this fall, but face coverings are one of many "strongly recommended" gameday operations the GHSA released on Monday night.
Hand-sanitizing stations on the sidelines and individualized hydration supplies and towels were also recommended.
Temperature checks, social distancing and face masks for fans were "highly recommended" as well, though the GHSA said "local school administrators, in consultation with local health departments and health care professionals, should determine what personnel (cheerleaders, band, mascots, dance team, etc.) should participate in events" and did not explicitly say it would prohibit or allow fans at games this fall.
The GHSA did also say that "if sales at concession stands are permitted, they must follow state guidelines for 'Restaurants, Bars, and Banquet & Catering Facilities/Services' as outlined in the current Governor’s Executive Order," and that any concessions workers are recommended to be screened and wear masks and gloves.
The GHSA is advising that each school devises its own "contest-day screening procedures," and it recommends checking temperatures and COVID-19 symptom checks upon arrival as well as before boarding a team travel vehicle, when playing on the road.
If a person's temperature is above 100.4 degrees or he or she exhibits symptoms, "the individual should wear a face covering and be sent immediately to a designated area for isolation and the school’s action plan implemented," the GHSA recommended. COVID-19 tests are "highly recommended" in these cases.
Additionally, the GHSA memo "highly recommended" that face coverings be worn properly -- covering noses and mouths -- during travel, when entering facilities like athletic training rooms or fields of play during pregame warmups or walkthroughs, and during contests on the sidelines while "not actively engaged in competition 'field of play.'" The GHSA also recommends that schools devise plans to isolate face masks or coverings in a container or plastic bag when they are not in use.
Officials are also "highly recommended" to wear face masks or coverings, though their health and safety protocols remain unclear. Local officials told FOX 5 Sports they were concerned about the lack of health and safety protocols as it pertains to officials.
The GHSA is also recommending that benches be wiped down before and during games and that the sideline should accommodate appropriate social distances for the number of limited personnel allowed on the sideline, perhaps by adjusting home active roster numbers accordingly.