ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis County is putting a temporary ban on competitions, games and tournaments for high-frequency contact high school sports such as football, basketball, lacrosse, water polo, wrestling and others.
The announcement was made Wednesday morning and the new guidelines from the health department that go into effect on Friday.
"The information regarding SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the COVID-19 illness, is changing rapidly. As a result, guidance given nationally and in St. Louis County is subject to change. The guidelines provided in this document will be reviewed and updated based on new scientific information and local circumstances, and, therefore, may change periodically," the new guidelines state.
Sports are classified based on the level of contact between players, as either "low-frequency," "moderate-frequency," or "high-frequency" of contact.
- Practices and team contact drills are allowed but only in groups of 30 athletes or fewer.
- Intra-squad scrimmages (within the team (not to exceed 30 athletes) that practice together) are allowed.
- Two coaches are permitted in addition to the group of 30 or fewer athletes.
- NO games are permitted.
- NO tournaments, performances, competitions, or showcases are permitted.
- Social distancing should be maintained as much as possible during practice.
- Masks/face coverings MUST be worn anytime an individual is not doing vigorous physical activity.
- All equipment (such as bats, sticks, helmets, sleds, etc.) must be disinfected between individual uses.
#BREAKINGNEWS:St. Louis County is putting a temporary ban on games for high-contact high school sports such as football, basketball, lacrosse, water polo, wrestling and others.Hear the announcement from @DrSamPage live on #KMOX: https://t.co/UIeyI48Oyp
— KMOX St. Louis News (@kmoxnews) September 9, 2020See the full guidelines here: