Exeter suspends activities due to positive coronavirus tests
Preseason football workouts at Exeter have been suspended for the second time and cross country workouts have been suspended for the first time, after two student-athletes — one in each sport — tested positive for COVID-19.
The school district sent a letter to parents of senior high and junior high cross country athletes on Tuesday and to football parents on Thursday informing them of the situation.
The voluntary offseason workouts for football will not begin again until Aug. 31, which coincides with the start of the PIAA-mandated heat acclimatization period.
Cross country will resume on Aug. 24, the official BCIAA start date for practice for non-contact sports.
Offseason football workouts also were suspended at Exeter for two weeks in July when the school district announced that a player tested positive.
Exeter superintendent Dr. Kimberly Minor said the district will continue to monitor information from health officials, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office and the PIAA as it decides whether to continue pursuit of a fall sports season.
“I would say it gets more difficult with each positive case to preserve the seasons,” she said.
Minor said that if another member of the football team tests positive before Aug. 31, the situation will be reevaluated.
“We’re hoping for a 31st restart (for football), but that’s not a guarantee,” she said.
The letter to football parents indicates that players may have been exposed to coronavirus at practice between July 30 and Aug. 10. The letter to cross country parents indicates exposure could have happened at practice on Aug. 6. High school and junior high runners train together one day per week.
The district encouraged football players and staff to self-quarantine until Aug. 25 and for cross country runners and staff to self-quarantine until Aug. 24.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in an effort to preserve the football season, we are suspending workouts,” the football letter said.
The cross country letter contained similar verbiage.
Muhlenberg, Reading High, Schuylkill Valley and Wyomissing each suspended workouts for various sports in July when student-athletes either reported testing positive, reported coming in contact with someone who had tested positive, or reported having secondary exposure to an individual who was in close contact with someone who had tested positive.