Several athletes from Michigan expressed themselves on Monday about the school’s decision to stop all athletic activities for 14 days after several athletes tested positive for a new ‘super-scatter ram’ from COVID-19.
At least five athletes tested positive for the B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus, and at least 15 more are considered positive. The tension was reportedly set at the school by an athlete originally from the UK.
All members of the athletics division were ordered to quarantine until February 7th. The Michigan Department of Human Health has ordered the decision to stop.
Michigan athletes push back at closing
Michigan senior wrestler Myles Amine on Monday morning shared a lengthy statement on Twitter of a “coalition of student-athletes” urging the school to revoke the termination order.
It is not clear who or how many Wolverines athletes are in that ‘coalition’.
“Although we, the student-athletes at the University of Michigan, understand the seriousness of this virus and take it very seriously, we believe that this mandate of the MDHHS is unnecessary and should not only be reconsidered, but also overturned. be, “reads the statement, in part.
The students argued that in each case, the athletics department should just close on a case-by-case basis instead of everything.
“Based on the department’s test policy, it is unnecessary and excessive to place healthy students in quarantine,” the statement read in part. ‘To put the whole student-athlete in a mandate quarantine, instead of working it on a team basis, is unfair to the athletes who followed all the necessary protocols to compete and no contact with the confirmed cases. These student-athletes have put a lot of effort into earning the right to have a season in the midst of a pandemic. ”
The B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus was first detected in the UK, and it was presumably originated last September. It has since spread around the world and is thought to be about 50 percent more transmissible than the standard form of the coronavirus. Some officials even called it a “super-distributor tribe.”
According to the Detroit Free Press, as of Monday night, at least 24 states in the United States have been reached, and there are currently 13 new cases in Washtenaw County.
While it is understandable that these athletes are frustrated with the decision, a widespread outbreak of the B.1.1.7 variant in the Ann Arbor area could quickly wreak havoc on the community and the rest of the state – more than the initial strain of the coronavirus. already has.
By suspending all athletic activities, the athletics department and the state clearly hope that they can curb any massive outbreak of the new tension before it begins. Whether it works, or they stick to the plan remains to be seen.
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