Mandatory coronavirus testing won’t be required for high school water polo and football

High school football and water polo players in Orange County will no longer have to do weekly mandatory coronavirus testing as cases continue to decline, CIF officials said in a release Tuesday.

A number of teams have been conducting tests in preparation for the start of the football season Thursday and Friday. Mandatory testing has also been conducted for water polo teams.

If counties reached the threshold of less than seven cases per 100,000 residents, mandatory testing for football and water polo would not be required.

Orange County reached 6.0 adjusted case rates per 100,000, meaning the weekly testing for football and boys/girls mandated by guidelines from the California Department of Public Health is no longer required, CIF Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod said in a release.

High school sports have been returning in Southern California due to declining coronavirus case numbers. The Orange County Health Authority reported 108 new cases and 61 deaths on Tuesday.

“The threshold for outdoor sports to begin competition was 14 cases (adjusted case rate), or lower, per 100,000 people,” Wigod said. “As of last week, all eight counties within the Southern Section footprint met that standard.”

Other counties who reached the below seven measurement were Los Angeles (5.2), San Luis Obispo (5.7), San Bernardino County (6.7). Counties who are over the number and will have to continue mandatory testing are Riverside (8.3), Ventura (9.1), Santa Barbara (9.7) and Kern County (11.8).

Safety protocol will continue at high school events with guidelines allowing only immediate family members to attend athletic events and it appears voluntary testing could still be offered by districts. Santa Ana Unified officials announced last week that no spectators would be allowed at sports events, including football games, hosted by SAUSD teams.