KU football on state’s COVID cluster list, but team will still play opener on Saturday
Though the Kansas football team has been labeled as an active COVID-19 coronavirus cluster by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, KU spokesperson Dan Beckler said only three Jayhawks players are current positive cases and Saturday’s season-opener against Coastal Carolina will go on as scheduled.
The KDHE website says the KU football team has 14 confirmed “cluster cases.” Wednesday was the first day the department provided a list of specific locations and case counts associated with outbreaks of coronavirus in Kansas.
Beckler, KU associate athletic director for public relations, said the football team’s 14 positive cases were over the last 28 days.
In a statement provided to The Star by Beckler, he wrote: “The KDHE information shared today stating 14 active COVID-19 cases for the KU football team is the total of the previous 28 days of positive test results within the football program, which includes coaches, support staff, student workers and student-athletes. Currently, there are three active COVID-19 cases among football student-athletes. Saturday’s game vs. Coastal Carolina remains as scheduled at 9 p.m. on FS1.”
KU’s game Saturday will be played at Booth Memorial Stadium without fans in attendance.
The KDHE website says “once a cluster is considered no longer active, typically once there have been 28 days without the occurrence of new cases, the facility will no longer appear on the named list of active clusters.”
The definition of a cluster is five or more positive cases as it relates to sports teams.
On the KDHE website, Kansas State football is also listed as a cluster with 11 cases for “August of 2020.”
KU previously shut down voluntary football workouts in July for nearly three weeks because of coronavirus cases. KU originally announced July 3 that the team had suspended workouts with a two-week self-quarantine after 12 players tested positive for coronavirus. That was up from one positive test when KU’s football players initially arrived on campus in mid-June.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 4:01 PM with the headline "KU football on state’s COVID cluster list, but team will still play opener on Saturday."
