UA Pauses Bringing Back Student Athletes

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

UA Pauses Bringing Back Student Athletes

Posted By Austin Counts on Tue, Jun 30, 2020 at 2:30 PM

"Our mission has always been, first and foremost, the safety of our student-athletes, staff and community," Dr. Stephen Paul of C.AT.S. Medical Services said.

The University of Arizona announced Tuesday they will pause bringing additional student-athletes back to campus after the recent spike in COVID-19 cases through the Pima County and the state.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have made this decision with campus and community partners to pause our re-entry process," Vice President and Director of UA Athletics Dave Heeke. "The health, safety, and wellbeing of all members of our community is our number one priority. We will continue to work in conjunction with campus partners and our local government agencies to support and evaluate a safe and healthy return to campus."

UA Athletics Department reported one student-athlete tested positive for COVD-19 out of 83 others who recently returned to campus for voluntary physical activities. UA Officials confirm the student-athlete is following department guidelines for students who are confirmed to have coronavirus.

"Health and safety continue to be the guiding force in our re-entry process. We will continue to monitor the status and impact of COVID-19 in our community and our ongoing and safe training of student-athletes already on campus," Dr. Stephen Paul of C.A.T.S. Medical Services. 'Arizona Athletics will assess when to resume its re-entry process in collaboration with the guidelines and protocols of the University of Arizona, Pac-12 Conference, NCAA, and state and local government agencies."

The university has not announced if this will delay the 2020-2021 football season. At this time, the fall semester is still expected to resume on Aug. 24.