MHSAA announces COVID-19, heat precautions for fall and winter sports
Here are the MHSAA COVID-19, heat acclimation precautions for fall and winter sports
Daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms is required
COVID-19 symptomatic or exposed participants must get tested before resuming activity
A participant that tests positive for COVID-19 must sit out for 10 days
The Mississippi High School Activities Association released its basic COVID-19 precautions Friday for the fall and winter high school sports seasons.
At competition venues, visible signs should be displayed that indicate symptoms to monitor, local masking guidelines, hand hygiene availability and requirements for social distancing.
Shared equipment, facilities and spaces must be cleaned after each use with CDC-recommended cleaning products. When possible, hydration sources should be distributed on an individual basis. Participants are not allowed to use spray nozzles or common sources of water.
To prevent heat illness, the association also instructed programs to start slowly and progressively for the first two weeks, allow for individual conditioning and medical status, adjust intensity and rest, start sessions adequately hydrated, recognize signs early, recognize more serious signs and to have a health emergency plan.
Each participant must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms before participation every day. Symptomatic participants or exposed participants must get tested before resuming activity. Schools must also ensure close contact quarantine and contact tracing as required by school district policies. A positive-testing participant must receive appropriate medical screening before returning to activity.
Medical screening is asking each participation if they have contracted COVID-19 in the period from March 2020 to the present period of participation in MHSAA activities. If a participant said yes, they've had it, the program has to document it.
Any MHSAA participant who displays symptoms more than 72 hours or requires hospitalization or medical care beyond that required for diagnosis must be cleared by a medical doctor before resuming activity. A guidance document for healthcare providers will be posted to the MHSAA website for further direction.
Participants who received the vaccine, which is available to anyone 12 or older, are excused to close contact quarantine if they are fully vaccinated and experienced no symptoms after the current exposure.
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The association defines "fully vaccinated" as someone who completed the COVID-19 vaccine series two weeks prior to exposure and within the last nine months prior to exposure.
Fully-vaccinated participants still must get screened for 48-72 hours after exposure, regardless of symptoms to participate in the meantime. Despite these exemptions, a fully-vaccinated participant must test negative before returning to activity if said participant has symptoms.
Any participant, vaccinated or unvaccinated, must receive a COVID-19 test if they are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19.
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A participant who tested positive may resume activity after 10 days if they are asymptomatic for the last 48 hours of the 10 days of quarantine. After testing positive, a student may re-enter school and participate in MHSAA activities if they receive a positive rapid test and then a negative PCR test within 48 hours.
The association recommends individuals be masked when gathered in indoor settings that do not allow adequate space for social distancing. Students, coaches and participants should be allowed to wear masks in any setting they desire.
Following CDC recommendations, the association recommends testing all participants weekly or at least 24 hours before events where resources are available. The Mississippi Department of Health has options for in-school testing.