Whitmer still stands on pausing high school contact sports

LANSING, Mich. — In Monday’s press conference, Governor Gretchen Whitmer was asked about the status of high school contact sports. Whitmer replied that she understands the high school athletes/parents frustration. However, she’s not comfortable with allowing contact sports to resume.

“I understand the concerns that parents and athletes have and their desire to reengage, said Whitmer. “I also point to some of the events that happened in the last couple of days.”

Last Saturday, the University of Michigan Athletic Department announced that a number of players tested positive for SAR-CoV-2 B.1.1.7. Multiple sources confirmed that the B.1.1.7. variant is nearly 50 percent more transferrable than the standard form of the coronavirus.

“I think it’s very important to point out that this variant is highly contagious,” said Whitmer. “It’s very important to keep watching the numbers.”

At this time, all contact sports (basketball, competitive cheerleading, ice hockey, wrestling) are banned from contact practices and/or competitions until Feb. 21.