BCIAA: Athletes must wear masks in competition

The exception is for swimming and diving

Mask up.

That’s the rule for winter sports in Berks after the BCIAA clarified the issue Thursday, voting to make it a league-wide policy.

All student-athletes will be required to wear a mask whether in active competition or on the bench. The obvious exception is swimmers and divers while in competition; otherwise they should wear a mask when not actively competing.

There was confusion last month after Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine issued a mask order as a means to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The PIAA initially opposed the state’s mask order for student-athletes in competition and left it up to individual schools to determined their own policies regarding masks.

That confusion is gone: Everybody wears a mask while at indoor events in Berks, including spectators.

“Everybody wants to see the kids have an opportunity,” said BCIAA executive director Kerry Ciatto, “but everybody is realistic about what the numbers are.”

In the face of a growing spread of the virus, the BCIAA will alter its plans for winter sports tournaments.

The boys and girls basketball semifinals and finals will not be held at Santander Arena, as has been the case for more than a decade. Ciatto said that with spectator limits in place it would not be economically feasible to utilize such a large site.

The basketball tournaments will continue to include eight teams and three rounds. The girls tournament is scheduled for Feb. 13, Feb. 16 and Feb. 19; the boys tournament is scheduled for Feb. 15, Feb. 17 and Feb. 19.

The sites for the tournaments are to be determined.

The team and individual wrestling tournaments, Ciatto said, pose a problem because they involve so many schools, and in the case of the individual tournament, more than 200 competitors.

The BCIAA is considering using split sites for the individual tournament, and moving from a two-day format to one day. The PIAA has suggested limiting wrestling brackets to eight teams or individuals as a mitigation measure.

Bowling matches and tournaments are held off school property so the league can not control crowds or other health issues. Ciatto said the BCIAA will ask local bowling alleys to limit spectators.

The Lancaster-Lebanon League approved of a similar mask ruling Thursday.

Levine’s mask order has exceptions for those with specific medical conditions, or if wearing a mask makes it unsafe, such as for swimmers.