LOGAN, Utah – Utah State Athletics announced Monday a comprehensive plan to re-open its facilities for voluntary individual workouts for football players beginning today. This announcement follows decisions by the NCAA Division I Council and the Mountain West to allow the resumption of in-person voluntary workouts at on-campus facilities.
In this plan, other student-athletes will return later this summer in a phased approach.
Utah State Athletics has collaborated with the University, state and local health officials, and state leadership to develop a comprehensive plan that is designed to provide the highest levels of care for the health and safety of student-athletes, staff and the campus community.
Upon return to campus, Aggie student-athletes will be evaluated for clearance by the USU medical staff. Student-athletes will be continuously monitored and will be expected to adhere to a number of safety protocols, consistent with federal and local public health guidelines.
This re-opening of facilities will allow student-athletes to utilize on-campus weight rooms and athletic training facilities on a voluntary basis. With safety of student-athletes and staff remaining the No. 1 priority, policies will include that:
- Student-athletes will be required to do a 14-day quarantine and be tested for COVID-19.
- Signs and symptoms, including temperature checks will be administered to student-athletes and staff upon arrival at the facility each day. Those individuals that have been cleared will be issued wristbands by appropriate medical staff.
- Student-athletes will be required to make an appointment to utilize weight rooms and athletic training facilities, and face coverings will be required when within six feet of others.
- All equipment and facilities will be thoroughly sanitized after each use.
- Locker room facilities will not be available to student-athletes.
The plan also outlines protocols for handling positive tests of student-athletes and staff, and is centered on the goals of creating safe and manageable return groups of student-athletes and staff, decentralizing potential areas of congestion and cross-contamination amongst teams and student-athletes and creating a contact tracing system within the department.
These protocols are designed to maintain a low risk for exposure, manage contact tracing at a high level, develop departmental baselines and manageable work groups for those directly working with the student-athletes, and establish a culture of compliance and social awareness to build long-term success.
The success within each phase will continue to guide the approach to subsequent phases, as greater numbers of student-athletes will be welcomed back to campus in the safest possible manner.