Vaccinated or Not, High School Athletes Must Test Weekly in L.A. County

High school athletes in Los Angeles County will have a mandatory weekly coronavirus test, even those who are fully vaccinated, stated the county Department of Public Health in a revised policy, effective September 1.

“The virus that causes COVID-19 may infect any members of the youth sports league, even fully vaccinated members. Any infected person can potentially transmit the virus to others,” the policy, under the heading “Require Screening Testing for COVID-19,” begins by saying, “One strategy to accurately identify infected individuals and then quickly isolate them is routine periodic screening testing for COVID-19 with a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) such as PCR, or an Antigen (Ag) test,” the policy continues:

At the current time with high community transmission occurring in Los Angeles County, routine testing is required for all athletes and staff participating in moderate or high-risk sports, regardless of vaccination status.

According to Los Angeles county, moderate or high-risk sports include:

Badminton (doubles)
Baseball
Cheerleading
Dance (intermittent contact)
Dodgeball
Field hockey
Flag Football
Kickball
Lacrosse (girls/women)
Pickleball (doubles)
Squash
Softball
Tennis (doubles)
Volleyball
Basketball
Boxing
Football
Ice hockey
Ice Skating (pairs)
Lacrosse (boys/men)
Martial Arts
Roller Derby
Rugby
Rowing/crew (with 2 or more people)
Soccer
Water polo
Wrestling

The policy goes on to say:

Required testing cadence is minimum once per week. Testing two times per week is strongly recommended for unvaccinated participants and staff. In addition, testing must be performed within 48 hours of any inter-team competition and results must be available before the competition begins or the athlete or staff member may not be present at the competition.

…

Vaccination is the primary strategy to reduce the burden of COVID-19 disease and protect all members of the community,” the policy states. “Having all athletes and staff in your league fully vaccinated will greatly decrease the risk of transmission of the virus among teammates and between teams, and will provide excellent protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death. It will also decrease disruption in team activities, because fully vaccinated individuals are not required to quarantine if they are close contacts to a case of COVID-19, as long as they remain asymptomatic and continue to test negative.

Earlier this year. a Michigan high school created a two-tiered coronavirus price structure for its prom, charging $80 for unvaccinated students and free for those who have been vaccinated.

Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines are seen on a table on May 7, 2021, in Los Angeles, California, at a vaccination clinic setup by Los Angeles Football Club, partnering with the LA county Department of Public Health and USC Pharmacy, where those vaccinated were due to receive a 20% discount on merchandise at the LAFC team store. – LA County public health officials are concerned about the considerable drop in countywide vaccination rates despite easier access for the free vaccine being offered with more no-appointment and walk-in vaccine clinics branching out to specific and targeted communities. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

In June, unvaccinated students attending a high school prom in New Hampshire were “numbered” with a sharpie pen and tracked throughout the evening.

In March, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical advisor on the Chinese coronavirus, predicted during an appearance for Tufts University that he expects high school students will be vaccinated in the fall.