The Charlotte 49ers reported Monday that five people who have returned to campus this summer for voluntary athletic workouts have tested positive for the coronavirus.
In a request from the Observer, Charlotte revealed that 374 tests were given to athletes, coaches and staff members (sometimes twice) who have been back on the UNC Charlotte campus since June 10. Voluntary workouts for the football, men’s and women’s basketball teams began June 15, with athletes from the 49ers’ other teams returning July 1.
The five who tested positive — which includes two members of the 49ers’ football program — will be required by university protocol to self quarantine for 14 days, as will coaches and staff members. “Close contacts,” using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition for contact tracing, will also quarantine for 14 days.
Charlotte did not specify whether the two positive cases on the football team were players, coaches or staff.
COVID-19 outbreaks among college athletes have been reported around the country — from North Carolina, Clemson and Central Florida to Texas, Louisiana State and Kansas State, among many others — as they return to campus for the first time since the spring semester. When the pandemic hit in March, schools suspended their athletic programs and students completed their coursework via online learning.
North Carolina’s football program recently halted summer voluntary workouts after 37 results from tests on 429 athletes, coaches and staff came back positive. Clemson released updated coronavirus numbers last week, revealing that six additional people in the athletics department have tested positive for COVID-19 since June 26. Clemson previously announced on June 26 that 37 football players have tested positive since testing began in early June.
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