NCAA Unveils COVID-19 Protocols For 2020 College Basketball Season

• The NCAA Sports Science Institute has officially partnered with the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group to release new guidelines for student-athletes and staff.
• Players and staff will be tested regularly, all personal must-have on masks while at the facilities.
• There will also be regular Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests.

INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA College Basketball season is set to continue with new coronavirus protection guidelines curated by the partnership between the NCAA Sports Science Institute and the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group.

The new guidelines will have student-athletes and staff strictly follow safety protocols every time they enter a facility.

There will also be regular testing for staff and student-athletes, as well as mask requirements and regular sanitization schedules.

NCAA COVID-19 Guidelines

The college basketball season will run with no fans in attendance, and players are required to follow strict new guidelines.

“The guidelines reflect recommendations from collaboration with the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, which features representatives from across the membership,” said Brian Hainline, NCAA Chief Medical Officer. “We will continue to work with them and others from the Association in safeguarding student-athlete well-being.”

One of the requirements per the new guidelines is the Behavioral Infection Risk Mitigation effort. Players and staff are required to follow these procedures while on any facility to decrease the risk of spreading the disease.

Behavioral Infection Risk Mitigation:

• Wash your hands before putting on your mask.
• Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin.
• Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face.
• Make sure you can breathe easily.
• Masks with exhalation valves or vents should not be worn to help prevent the person wearing the mask from spreading COVID-19 to others (source control).

The NCAA will be utilizing both the Antigen Testing and the Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests. These are the dominant testing paradigms in the US currently.

Players will be tested prior to every game, and all staff members are required to be tested as well if they are to be around student-athletes and coaches.

“This basketball resocialization guidance is based on the best information available in a rapidly changing COVID-19 environment.” Mark Emmert said NCAA President. “It is predicated on the assumption that rapid testing capabilities will be readily available later this year. We will constantly assess emerging information as we prepare for the start of the basketball season at the end of November.”

The guidelines are to ensure the continuation of the NCAA College Basketball season after it starts. College basketball betting fans will be happy to note the efforts to ensure an uninterrupted college basketball season.

The cancellation of March Madness in 2020 was one of the biggest hits taken by the legal sports betting industry as it is one of the most wagered on events in all of U.S. sports.

News tags: basketball | Brian Hainline | College Basketball | COVID-19 | Mark Emmert | NCAA | NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group | NCAA Men’s Basketball | NCAA Sport Science Institute