Game Off - Part 3 Friday, November 12, 2021
Our prior post on the UC-Berkeley football game cancelled because of a coronavirus outbreak indicated that there was a dispute with the City of Berkeley about adherence to health rules. Here is more info from SFGATE:
In a statement provided to SFGATE, Berkeley's Department of Public Health laid out previously unreported details about what is clearly a major COVID-19 outbreak in the Cal football program — including that at least 44 people in the program have tested positive for COVID over the past week or so. "Berkeley Public Health continues to work closely with University Health Services to help contain and respond to a major COVID-19 outbreak involving the coaches, students, and staff in the Cal Football program," the statement begins. "All of these 44 lab-confirmed cases involve people infected with highly contagious COVID-19, which spreads easily unless public health safeguards are used." The statement provided to SFGATE strongly insinuates that Cal football players and staff members have not been mindful of typical precautions after exposure to COVID-19. "Cases emerged in an environment of ongoing failure to abide by public health measures. People in the program did not: Get tested when sick, stay home when sick, [or wear] masks indoors. "These simple measures keep people safe," the statement continues. "Failing to do so results not only in individual infections, sickness, and worse, but also threatens the safety of all around them – especially those with compromised immune systems." Cal's football players are 99% vaccinated, the school has said, and its staffers also have a similarly high vaccination rate. During a press conference on Tuesday evening, Cal Athletic Director Jim Knowlton could not confirm how many of those players were asymptomatic, or at least unaware that they were potentially exhibiting COVID symptoms. None of the players or staffers have been reported as seriously ill, which is line with the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. UCLA Faculty Association Blog: 4th Quarter 2021
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