By Christopher Garrett and Braden Weinel//
During standard athletic COVID testing on Friday, March 12, eight student athletes tested positive. Following protocol, Hood quarantined those students, the campus went on lockdown, all classes went virtual and sports were cancelled for the weekend.
Hood student athletes are required to get tested for COVID-19 prior to any sporting events. Athletes are tested on Fridays and get results back before their weekend matches and games.
Immediately after the positive results were detected, President Andrea Chapdelaine convened a meeting with the COVID Emergency Response Team (CERT) to decide on an appropriate response. Their decision was to limit all activity on campus until Thursday, March 18, after all residential students are retested for COVID-19.
“I believe it is the best decision to keep athletes and students safe. It also shows us why we need to follow the protocols, or this could happen again in a much worse scale,” sophomore swimmer Russell Odor said. “As a swimmer, I train for the meets and it’s very disheartening to have it cancelled after training for weeks to compete.”
The college’s response to the outbreak included the quarantining of 28 individuals in total, many being student athletes.
“I feel that the hiatus is a necessary thing,” freshman lacrosse player Lucas Webb said. “The sooner we start following the COVID regulations the sooner we can return to playing.”
As of March 12, the seven-day positivity rate was 3.1% for Hood College, compared to Frederick County’s 3.7%. Since Jan. 30, there have been a total of 19 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on campus, including Friday’s eight positive tests.
The overall percentage of the population of Frederick County receiving a first dose vaccine is 20.7% as of March 15 and the Mayo Clinic has estimated recently that 70% is a likely herd immunity threshold. Fully vaccinated individuals represent 11.4% of the county population.
More information about when sports will resume can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook under the name HoodBlazers.
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