A USC student-athlete tested positive for COVID-19, the school said in a statement Friday.
The news comes after Trojans began allowing some local players to return to campus on Wednesday for voluntary summer training. Before they were allowed to enter the campus, they had to take a COVID-19 test. The school said it evaluated 69 players, including 56 from the soccer team, and one tested positive. The school did not reveal what sport the athlete plays.
“A student athlete who was experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 tested positive and is isolated,” the school said. “This student-athlete had not yet started volunteer training. All the others evaluated were negative. USC will continue to closely monitor and conduct regular testing of any student-athlete who returns to voluntary training. “
USC is still in the first phase of its plan to restart sports amid the new coronavirus outbreak. Currently, only players on the men’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and men’s water polo teams who attended USC last year and reside within an hour’s drive from campus may return.
A COVID-19 test is one of several pre-participation requirements that athletes must complete before beginning activities. The school said in a statement Tuesday that medical personnel from its athletics department “will make the final determination on the authorization of a student-athlete to participate in voluntary training.”
In addition to the 56 soccer players, nine members of the men’s water polo team, three members of the women’s soccer team, and one member of the men’s basketball team also underwent COVID-19 testing.
The Trojans previously stated that any athlete who tests positive for COVID-19 will receive medical treatment and should be isolated until eliminated. The school provides quarantined accommodation and will also use contact tracking to determine if others have been exposed.
“The reality is that we hope to have outbreaks and positive tests in our university community, including athletics,” USC Medical Director Dr. Sarah Van Orman said in a statement this week, before the positive test was announced. . “We have been very thorough in planning such events and in preventing the spread of the virus. Our medical and planning team has done an exceptional job preparing protocols and procedures for a variety of COVID-19 related scenarios. We are committed to protecting the health and safety of our USC community. “
The second phase of the Trojans’ athletic return plan is aimed at July 6 (the arrival of athletes who do not return locally to the six sports mentioned above). The third phase is supposed to start on July 13 (the arrival of new and incoming student athletes in those sports). Return plans for student athletes in all other sports remain undecided.
