In the weeks before the fall sports season opens, state health and high school athletics officials are urging Connecticut teens to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) led a "Stay in the Game" event at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, site of the 2021 state football championships, which all involved hope will be played as scheduled. The 2020 state championships were cancelled.
The message for athletes? The COVID vaccines are safe and will greatly reduce the chance of acquiring the virus. They'll also keep athletes on the field. Under CIAC guidelines, vaccinated athletes won't land in quarantine if they have a close contact with the virus.
Acting Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker says the vaccines will do more than keep athletes on the field: they'll help keep schools open.
"(Students') bond to the school community is powerful," Russell-Tucker says. "In-person is powerful. That is why we're here today encouraging our students, our faculty, our staff to use every tool in their toolkit to keep themselves and their school community safe, and that includes vaccination against COVID-19."
Athletes are also being asked to encourage peers to get their shots. Malikai Booker, a football player and a senior at Bloomfield High School, says he's done that. "I've encouraged a few people to get it," says Malikai, who was vaccinated last winter.
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Appearing at the "Stay in the Game" event, Gov. Ned Lamont confirmed that he's sticking with his previously ordered statewide school mask mandate for September. Extending that mandate into October would require action by state lawmakers-- either by extending the governor's emergency powers (which expire Sept. 30) or by issuing their own mask mandate.