Sarah Burke, staff writer

Athletes know how incredibly difficult it is to physically distance. Plenty of us have bruises and concussions to prove it. On top of that, keeping a cloth mask over your face as you’re sprinting isn’t the easiest thing in the world. I assumed that sports would be postponed along with most plays, concerts and events until the spring. 

Nikole Gullerud, a member of Augsburg’s women’s basketball team, told The Echo that playing is worth the risk as long as the guidelines are followed. 

“I think that we should be able to play sports right now as long as everyone involved is comfortable with it, knows the potential risks and is being safe about them.” 

Coaches and team members have to follow the guidelines coming from the CDC and MN Health Department at all times. The CDC recommends physical distancing as much as possible while playing sports. It also recommends wearing a mask as often as you can when you practice and when you play. 

In other news, it seems that student athletes are actually not more at risk of contracting COVID, according to a survey conducted this fall by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. The survey included 207 high schools and reported that out of approximately 30,000 students surveyed only 271 of them have contracted the virus, and none of them have died. This feels like promising news for the sports world who seemed at first to be the most likely to get the virus. 

If you are an athlete or team member, please take COVID seriously and protect your teammates. If we all do that, there could be a chance of things returning to normal this spring.