Cal and Stanford still wait for clearance
The revised coronavirus guidance for higher education in California is 37 pages of restrictions, suggestions and, one could argue, obfuscations.
But scroll down- down-down, to the bottom of the 36th page, and you’ll find the sentence that matters more than any other for Pac-12 football teams:
“Discontinuation of practice with contact and competition for the rest of the season may be considered by local health departments if more than 10% of athletes on a team test positive within a 14-day period.”
Cal, Stanford, UCLA and USC have a path through the seven-game season that begins Nov. 7, but it’s hardly free of obstacles or overflowing with clarity. Their journey begins today with the start of training camp, at least for the Southern California schools
USC and UCLA have received approval from state and county health officials for the full- contact, large-cohort practices needed to prepare for the season openers.
But even now — almost a month after Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would not stand in the way of the quartet returning to play — the Bay Area teams are awaiting approval for training camp.
As of Thursday morning, those processes were still unfolding. The Hotline asked each athletic department for an update and was told, essentially: We’ve got nothing for you, yet.
With the daily antigen testing in place, the Cardinal and Bears are optimistic that local authorities will approve the start of training camp under guidance issued by the state — guidance that allows teams to practice in large groups of 75 and “to the extent possible” smaller cohorts of 25.