Orland’s football team shut down for 10 days
Fate of Friday’s game to be determined at Wednesday’s board meeting
ORLAND >> The Orland High football team has been ordered by the Glenn County Public Health Department to shut down practice and games for 10 days after a player tested positive for COVID-19, the school was informed Monday.
However, it’s a move that Orland head football coach Nick Velazquez said is overly cautious.
Velazquez said a player tested positive Friday before the Trojans’ road game against Oroville High. In response, the team conducted rapid antigen tests on every player before getting on the bus to head to Oroville, Velazquez said. No positive results appeared from the rapid tests.
The player who tested positive did not partake in the school’s rapid testing but did take a PCR test at the local CVS Pharmacy in Orland on Friday. The result came back negative, Velazquez said. That player was not with the team in any capacity on Friday and did not play in the game against Oroville.
Oroville High’s football program has not been ordered to quarantine, according to athletic director Tom Frazier.
But on Monday afternoon, Velazquez was informed his team could not practice or attend school in-person for 10 days. Coaches were not told to quarantine, Velazquez said.
“This is beyond frustrating,” Velazquez said. “The goal post is constantly moving. ( Public health) is treating this as an outbreak.”
The entire program, including the JV team, is under a 10day quarantine. A JV player played a game on Thursday and received a positive test result on Friday. The JV team played the freshman Pleasant Valley team Thursday.
Dr. Jared Garrison, the public health officer for Glenn County, said in a statement posted on Facebook that close contacts of the positive case could not be determined and that Orland football staff would not comply when trying to conduct contact tracing.
“I had hoped on Friday that we would be able to do contact tracing and not have to quarantine the entire team. The staff would not work with me — someone who practiced for four full days of football, and they said there was absolutely no one who was less than 6 ft for a cumulative of 15 min in 24 hrs. I guess he stood in a field by themself, away from everyone,” Garrison wrote.
“This is beyond frustrating. The goal post is constantly moving. (Public health) is treating this as an outbreak.” — Nick Velazquez, Orland head football coach
Garrison also added that he contacted other health officers in surrounding counties and determined that if one athlete tests positive, then the entire team must quarantine for 10 days.
“Today, I learned that Butte, Tehama, Shasta, and the entire Sacramento Regional Health Officers have decided that if one athlete tests positive, the entire team must be quarantined for the next 10 days (10 days is the newer less restrictive school guidance),” Garrison wrote.
In an email to parents that was obtained by this newspaper, Orland High Principal Victor Perry wrote, “We have looked into all legal avenues of the directive to quarantine for 10 days. We legally have to follow the directive of Dr. Garrison.”
Friday was the first day Orland High had used the rapid antigen testing kits. Friday morning, staff was being trained on how to administer the tests, Velazquez said.
“If we did not have these testing kits then I understand ( public health’s) stance,” Velazquez said. “But we have the testing kits. The whole varsity team got tested at 4 p.m. Friday and just played a football game. They let the kids in school Monday and (then) we’re told to go home and quarantine. It is incredibly frustrating.”
A special Orland Unified School District board meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m. regarding student- athlete participation.
Velazquez said the team was emotional when he informed them Monday afternoon that football would be shut down for 10 days.
“I got choked up yesterday having to tell those kids what was going on,” Velazquez said. “I had several that were super upset. Some of them stormed off (angry), some just sat there in shock. This is just ridiculous. I’m ready to put my neck out on the line.”
The fate of Friday’s game against Las Plumas in Oroville will be determined at Wednesday’s board meeting.
In the Northern Section, Paradise and Pleasant Valley High have had canceled games because of a positive COVID-19 case. What was supposed to be PV’s season opener against Sutter on the road on Friday was canceled after a positive case turned up on Sutter’s team. The Paradise and East Nicolaus game scheduled for last Friday was also called off.