By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations
NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State Athletic Department confirmed Wednesday the first positive case of COVID-19 among its student-athletes who have been on campus since voluntary workouts began in early June.
NSU instituted department-wide protocol to help ensure the health and safety of student-athletes who returned to campus for voluntary workouts under Phase 1 of the state government’s return to work plan. Those steps included baseline testing, daily temperature checks and enhanced sanitary measures within the NSU weight room between each workout set.
NSU sports medicine staff members followed contact tracing protocols upon learning of the positive test. As a result, additional student-athletes were determined to have been in contact with the student-athlete who tested positive. All involved parties will quarantine for 14 days.
Northwestern State has maintained those measures and will continue to adapt them as needed to provide a safe environment for its student-athletes, coaches and staff as the return-to-campus transition continues.
NSU sports medicine personnel worked alongside members of Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, NSU’s official health services partner, to determine the best courses of action ahead of student-athletes’ return to campus and will continue to do so to meet the changing needs of the NSU community.
