SAN DIEGO — Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled new guidelines Friday allowing all outside sports to resume next Friday in counties with less than 14 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. According to state and county officials, San Diego County case rate is still above the 14 case threshold but it is trending down.
Regarding those guidelines, Newsom said, “We are now confident with new guidelines published today that we can get youth sports moving again in the state of California. His announcement sent shockwaves throughout the entire state
Marlon Gardinera is the head football coach at Scripps Ranch High School. “After 11 months of no hope, and disappointment and loss, this is the most excited I’ve seen members of my football team since March of 2020,” Gardinera said.
Gardinera has played an active role in a statewide push called Let Them Play,
holding rallies and news conferences asking the governor to ease restrictions on competitive sports.
While these new guidelines are a step in the right direction, rules still apply. For high contact sports such as football, water polo and rugby, players 13 and older must be tested once a week with results available 24 hours before competition.
The state will pay for those tests.
For others sports like baseball, no testing is required, but face coverings and social distancing should "be implemented to the greatest extent possible."
Newsom said, "Despite the fact we're at 7,000 cases and we were at 24,000 30 days ago-despite those encouraging trends, we still need to be cautious until we reach herd immunity."
Is it possible for San Diego County to get to the 14 cases per 100,000 threshold by next week?
Torrey Pines High School coach Ron Gladnick seems to think so. "So at the rate things are going, we expect to be at or under the 14 case threshold in a way we could start obviously next Friday," he said.
Governor Newsom's guidelines do not include allow for indoor sports in red and purple tier counties. That’s something local coaches and athletes are still fighting for.