Hillsborough County sets safety guidelines for fans

Hillsborough County superintendent Addison Davis announced safety measures for fans attending athletic events this fall.

Among the spectator procedures in place.

  • Masks will be required
  • Each participant (athlete, band member, cheerleader) is allowed to have four fans in attendance. They must still purchase a ticket.
  • The four designated fans for each participant must sit together in a pod.
  • The stands or bleachers at each event will be marked to adhere to social distancing.
  • Tickets will be sold online through the school’s website and proof will be required at the gate in a digital form.

The school district also set guidelines for athletes who set positive for coronavirus.

  • Any athlete who tests positive must quarantine for a minimum of 10 days starting from the positive test date
  • The athlete must complete quarantine and go 24 hours without any fever and medication to return.
  • The athlete is required to be cleared by a physician.
  • Any teammates and staff exposed to an athlete who tested positive must quarantine for 14 days. This is due to the 2-13 day incubation period when a person can develop viral shedding and potential symptoms.
  • The CDC defines close contact as anyone who comes within six feet of someone infected for at least 15 minutes without protective equipment or a face covering.
  • If an athlete is symptomatic and awaiting test results, they will be treated as a positive case until results return.

Last week, Hillsborough and Jefferson each had a football player test positive. The two players had to quarantine along with their position groups.

Because of having so many players out for a two-week period, both schools had to cancel their season openers on Sept. 11. Their opponents, Chamberlain and Gaither, are now kicking off the regular season against each other.

Hillsborough and Jefferson will meet in the regular season finale on Nov. 6.