The state says most counties can once again start up most outdoor sports immediately, but with a few key rules. Youth sports competitions can resume next week in parts of California and could be back for a vast majority of the state by the end of March, under a plan announced Thursday by public health officials that clears the way for abbreviated spring versions of high school football, field hockey, gymnastics and water polo. Under the new rules, a county’s overall tier designation doesn’t matter. The one metric being used for sports competitions is per capita cases. All outdoor sports are allowed — with safety protocols — once a county reaches a level of 14 cases or lower for every 100,000 people. San Bernardino County is at 15.2. While both Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms High School Football Coaches say they are ready to go, the final decision is still up to the County of San Bernardino and the Morongo Unified School District.
There are 27 counties that meet that standard and can resume competition, they are virtually all in Northern California and include three of the four largest San Francisco Bay Area counties as well as many of the state’s most rural counties. The new rules impose lots of limitations, including banning indoor activities like team dinners and film study and prohibiting athletes from sharing equipment. Coaches and players not in games must wear masks, and fans should be limited to immediate family members. Most burdensome of all, the rules require weekly virus testing for all coaches and athletes in close-contact sports in counties with a per capita rate above 7 cases.
