Entire football team in quarantine after rival game in packed stadium, GA school says
An entire Georgia high school football team and its coaches will enter a precautionary quarantine days after playing in front of a packed crowd last week, Lowndes County Schools officials announced Wednesday.
The decision to quarantine Lowndes High varsity players was made “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a statement on the district’s Facebook page.
“All football activities and games have been postponed until practice resumes the afternoon of October 26th,” officials wrote. “All protocols are being reviewed and adjusted to continue to protect our players and coaches so the Vikings can quickly return to school and the field.”
The district said it’s “worked diligently” to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by adhering to health department rules. However, the team’s Oct. 9 game against rival Valdosta High School drew thousands of cheering fans to the stadium, leaving little room for social distancing, photos and videos on social media show.
The contest aired as part of ESPN’s high school showcase.
Tracey DuBose, wife of Lowndes High head coach Jamey DuBose, later announced that she and her husband had tested positive for the virus, McClatchy News reported. The coach has been hospitalized after testing positive on Wednesday, his wife said.
“His symptoms have already improved,” Tracey DuBose wrote in a Twitter post Friday. “I am confident that he will continue to improve and be released soon. ... My husband is a fighter and as he usually does, I’m confident he will win this battle.”
News of the quarantine also drew a flurry of questions and comments from concerned parents.
“What about any students they were in contact with???” someone commented on the district’s Facebook page. “Will the parents be informed?”
“That’s sad,” someone else said of the news, “but packing a football game for pay instead of safety is negligence on both school systems. I just don’t understand the logic!”
The district has declined to release further information about the quarantine, a district spokesperson told McClatchy News.
As of Wednesday, Lowndes County had over 4,100 confirmed coronavirus cases and 85 deaths, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 6:23 PM.