Lamont reluctant to let UConn travel to hot spots
HARTFORD — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday he would be reluctant to allow UConn’s football team to travel to any state with a high coronavirus infection rate this fall.
UConn, which is scheduled to play its first season as an independent after leaving the American Athletic Conference, has road games scheduled at Virginia, Mississippi, North Carolina and San Jose State.
Lamont said that should the team travel and infection rates remain high in any of the states where it plays, the Huskies would be subject to Connecticut’s 14-day quarantine rule upon their return to Storrs.
“My feeling is that if you go to a highly infected state that is still part of our quarantine, that would be the requirement,” Lamont said. “Sometimes these teams live within their own bubbles, that’s a form of self-quarantining. But I’d be reluctant (to allow them to travel).“
People coming to Connecticut from 22 states currently are required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering the state.
The rule applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a seven-day rolling average or a state with a 10% or higher positive rate over a seven-day rolling average.
The Huskies returned to campus on July 1 and so far, no players or coaches have tested positive for the coronavirus. “Gov. Lamont has done a tremendous job leading our state through this difficult time,“UConn athletic director David Benedict said in a statement. “We will continue to consult with his team and follow the guidance of state and public health officials to find the best path forward.”
UConn already has lost scheduled games against Illinois and Indiana after the Big Ten announced earlier this month that it plans to play only conference games this season.