Guidance From Gov. Wolf Allows High School And Recreational Sports Teams In 'Yellow' And 'Green' Counties To Resume Voluntary Workouts
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) - Gov. Tom Wolf announced guidance for sports teams to restart voluntary workouts in the state's "yellow" and "green" counties, while some teams in "green" areas can hold games and practices.
For high school sports, the guidance allows public and private K-12 schools under PIAA and PISAA in yellow and green phases to resume voluntary workouts after schools develop an athletic health and safety plan following Department of Education guidance.
Recreational teams in the green phase can hold in-person activities, including games and practices if they follow CDC guidelines.
Gatherings of participants -- including players, staff, officials and spectators -- are limited to 25 in the yellow phase and 250 or 50 percent capacity in the green phase.
"We also are going to go cautiously and prudently to make sure we're not racing ahead just to get started and maybe put anybody at risk," said Don Holl, Gateway High's athletic director and head football coach.
The guidance issued also recommends masks be worn by some people, like spectators, coaches and other adult personnel.
A press release calls the preliminary guidance a "starting point" for summer teams that may be updated for fall, winter and spring seasons.
"Pennsylvania has some of the best athletes and teams in the country and they can now begin to safely return to organized sports," said Gov. Wolf in a press release.
"This guidance balances keeping student-athletes safe from COVID-19 while allowing them to participate in an important part of their lives."
"It will look a little different. It'll be a little different but I think we're feeling like we're maybe in a little more familiar area of time for our summer," Hull said.
Dane Welsh works with the South Side Baseball Association and was practicing with his kids on Wednesday.
Though their summer baseball and softball seasons were canceled, Welsh is hoping to put his own co-ed teams together to compete in a tournament at the end of the month.
"We're working on putting a couple of teams together so we can at least give some of the kids that had the opportunity to work with us all year long to be able to play," Welsh said.
You can read all of the guidance here.
