More guidelines issued by WIAA

RENTON—More tweaks have come to the benchmarks for playing high school sports, as the WIAA updated its return-to-play guidelines Oct. 6 following new guidance given by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Sports have been grouped into three categories based on the “risk level” they provide in regard to possible transmission of COVID-19: low-risk, moderate-risk and high-risk.

Various sports can return based on their risk level compared to COVID-19 transmission within their community. Local COVID-19 activity will also be measured in three categories: high, moderate and low.

High-risk activity is considered more than 75 cases per 100,000 people per 14 days, or more than 5% positivity rate. Moderate-risk activity is between 25-75 cases per 100,000 people for 14 days and a less than 5% positivity rate. Low-risk activity is less than 25 cases per 100,000 people for 14 days and a less than 5% positivity rate.

The following sports are considered low-risk and can resume competition during high-risk COVID-19 levels: cross country, golf, swim/dive, tennis and track & field.

Sports that are considered moderate-risk and can resume competition during moderate-risk COVID-19 levels are baseball, bowling, gymnastics, soccer, softball and volleyball.

Sports considered high-risk that can’t resume until there is a low-risk activity rate within the community are basketball, cheerleading, dance/drill, football and wrestling.

The WIAA released sport-specific guidelines for schools within each level of COVID-19 transmission risk rate within their communities. For example, if a community has high-risk activity, football teams can practice with no contact. Coaches can rotate between groups with a buffer zone of 30 feet between pods. At this same level, basketball players must stay six feet apart. If this isn’t possible, coaches must reduce the number of players allowed in the gym at once.

Team practices can resume at all levels, but guidelines are much stricter depending on the community rate of virus transmission.

The new guidelines may affect Lincoln County schools’ ability to play basketball games and participate in wrestling meets this winter. Because the county only has roughly 11,000 people, to adhere to the positive rate per 100,000 people the county will have to have only two or three cases per 14 days for schools to be able to compete.

A complete list of sports-related guidelines is available on the WIAA website.