Update on Augsburg Athletics’ COVID-19 Policy
Greg Miller, Staff Writer
Augsburg University and the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference have postponed all fall sports until at least the start of the next calendar year due to the current pandemic.
This means big changes for how every team can operate during this fall semester as well as new rule changes involving the use of the Kennedy Center facilities. Here is a recap for those wondering what some of the changes are:
Campus Clear/Temp Checks: Every Augsburg practice starts with athletes showing their coach their campus clear app and receiving a temperature check. This is to keep a monitor on player health with regards to COVID-19 symptoms.
Pods: Every team will go through their own plan of isolating players in phases depending on the danger of the sport. These phases usually last about two weeks and start with each athlete on their own before grouping them up in pods of 10 people or less. Teams with different levels of contact go through different phases but the idea is to limit the spread if someone were to come down with the virus.
Training Room: Athletes will no longer be able to go into the training room on a walk-in basis, now all training room visits must be scheduled, to limit interactions between the teams.
Weight/Cardio Room: These rooms are open but can be reserved during some open times by different teams/pods. The rooms are open for the first 45 minutes of the hour before being closed for the last 15 minutes of the hour for cleaning. As of right now 10 people are allowed per room, with every other piece of equipment being closed.
Dome: The dome is open with two sets of workout equipment for two different pods to train. The field remains open for teams to practice.
Locker Rooms: Teams are allowed to use locker rooms if they are only used by a singular pod at a time and then have a coach clean them before allowing anyone else into the locker room. Showering at this time is still not permitted.