NCAA releases latest advisory

But the prospect of playing fall sports is looking bleak given surge of coronavirus.

The NCAA handed down its latest guidelines for playing through a pandemic while also sounding an alarm: The prospect of having a fall semester with football and other sports is looking grim.

If the games can go on, the NCAA says college athletes should be tested for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours before they play, players with high-risk exposures to the coronavirus should be quarantined for 14 days and everybody on the sideline should wear a mask.

The nation’s largest governing body for college sports released an updated guidance Thursday to help member schools navigate competition, but it comes as the pandemic rages on.

“This document lays out the advice of healthcare professionals as to how to resume college sports if we can achieve an environment where COVID-19 rates are manageable,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement.

“Today, sadly, the data point in the wrong direction. If there is to be college sports in the fall, we need to get a much better handle on the pandemic.”

The recommendations were developed by the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel, Autonomy-5 Medical Advisory Group, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference, and other medical groups.

Among the highlights of the NCAA’s recommendations:

Test results should be obtained within 72 hours of competition for athletes competing in so-called highcontact risk sports, such as football, basketball, hockey and lacrosse.

Face shields should be integrated into sports where feasible.

Masks should be worn by everyone on a sideline, including when an athlete moves from the playing field to interact with a coach.

CDC guidelines should be used for determining when individuals can resume activities after testing positive for COVID-19. Timebased strategy means isolation until 72 hours after recovery and at least 10 days after symptoms first appeared.

All individuals with high-risk exposure must be quarantined for 14 days.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 announced last week that they would play only conference games in football and other sports to help minimize potential disruptions caused by COVID-19.

The Big East joined those leagues Thursday by going conference-only for the fall season, which for the basketball-focused league includes men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross-country, volleyball and field hockey.

The West Coast Conference Presidents’ Council announced Thursday that teams won’t participate in any competition prior to Sept. 24.

The decision does not apply to sports that are not sponsored by the WCC, including the Brigham Young and University of San Diego football teams.

The Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference on Thursday became the third Division I conference to say it will not have a fall sports season. The MEAC, made up of 11 historically black colleges and universities, joined fellow FCS conferences the Ivy League and Patriot League in punting on fall football and other sports, with the hopes of making them up in the spring semester if possible.

Other FBS conferences have not decided on scheduling formats for football, instead waiting until late July.

The regular season for most teams is scheduled to begin around Labor Day weekend, with dozens of games slated for Sept. 3-7.