Virus scare puts Bears’ opener in jeopardy
Player tests positive; ‘ significant’ contact-tracing hurdle is feared
Cal football’s season opener is in jeopardy after a player tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday, and extensive contact tracing started ahead of Saturday night’s scheduled game against Washington.
Head coach Justin Wilcox said late Wednesday that a player tested positive during the team’s normal daily antigen tests. The test was confirmed by a PCR followup, and the player and those with whom he contacted were placed into quarantine.
The Bears are scheduled to open the season at 7: 30 p. m. Saturday against Washington at Memorial Stadium.
“The result of the contact tracing is significant,” Wilcox said. “It’s a significant hurdle. …
It’s a major hurdle.”
Because of privacy laws, Wilcox couldn’t disclose details about the player who tested positive, but he said there were no symptoms. The coach is hoping that the others who had contact will be cleared to play soon, or Saturday’s opener won’t be played.
On Wednesday, Cal practiced around the fragility of a season that originally was not going to be played in the Pac12 this fall and has been interrupted and questioned throughout the country.
“Everybody is trying to do the right things, first and foremost by looking out for the players,” Wilcox said. “We’ve had such a clean and defined process by how we’re trying to mitigate all the risks we possibly can. There isn’t a perfect solution, because if there was, everyone would be doing it.
“This is obviously bigger than football.”
The Pac12 announced in August that it would cancel the 2020 season, stemming from concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, but momentum to play started the next month.
In the first week of September, the conference made plans to implement daily coronavirus testing. Later in the month, the Pac12 leadership voted to return to play a conference-only schedule leading to a championship game Dec. 18.
On Oct. 1, the California Department of Public Health increased its cohort sizes for college football to 75 players outside and 25 indoors, and those numbers had to be OK’d by local counties.
Less than a week later, Stanford still hadn’t gotten the goahead from Santa Clara County, but Cal got allowances from East Bay health officials — so long as it maintained at least 6 feet of separation while not engaged in play and prohibited unnecessary physical contact.
“Shocked, obviously,” Cal quarterback Chase Garbers said of Wednesday’s positive test. “Wilcox informed us right before our meetings, and then we went out to practice. Team morale was still high. The game plan is still intact. I think, if we can play Saturday, we’ll be ready.”
Since campus testing began June 4, Cal says it has conducted 3,547 PCR tests among all studentathletes ( through Oct. 30) with 20 positive results.