William & Mary on Wednesday put a pause on all sports activities, including practices, after positive cases of COVID-19.
“We had a number of positive cases of COVID-19 reported over the last few days as a result of our prevalence testing and through our self-reporting system,” Erin Zagursky, W&M spokeswoman, wrote in an email Wednesday afternoon.
Zagursky said that includes “12 people associated with W&M Athletics…”
University officials did not disclose how many student athletes have tested positive for the coronavirus.
“We have temporarily paused all athletic team activities as a precaution and to conduct testing,” Zagursky said.
That means there will be no practice or training sessions “until so directed by Tribe Athletics’ chief medical officer, who is in close contact with other university and state health officials.”
“Those who have tested positive have been contacted by our case managers with information on how to isolate for 10 days and next steps,” she said.
“Those who are identified as potential close contacts of those who tested positive are being asked to quarantine for 14 days; if they are students, they will be tested for COVID-19 around the seventh day of quarantine.”
Zagursky said W&M follows “all guidelines set forth by the university, CDC and NCAA.”
The COVID-19 Dashboard was momentarily not working Wednesday but has updated as of 4:19 p.m. with 28 “on campus positives.”
W&M defines positive on campus positive numbers as “any student or employee having a local address within a 30-mile drive of the campus is considered an on-campus community member” which also includes students taking remote classes and employees working remotely.
The previous day, the dashboard showed there were 20 cases on campus.
This has been a tough week for the college’s athletics department.
Samantha Huge, W&M athletics director, resigned Tuesday, weeks after W&M announced it would cut seven varsity sports programs.
Her resignation was effective immediately.
W&M President Katherine Rowe, Board of Visitors Rector John E. Littel and Jeremy Martin, Rowe’s chief of staff and the new interim athletics director, released a statement to the Tribe Club board members and later, to the college community on Tuesday about the decision.
“…Director Huge and I have mutually agreed that it is best to part ways so the university can focus on the critical questions facing W&M Athletics,” Rowe wrote. “I accept this with a heavy heart and with great respect for Samantha Huge and her leadership.”
The news was announced just before the faculty Arts & Sciences meeting on Tuesday, where a faculty member planned to file a motion, a vote of no confidence in Huge’s leadership.
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