Athletic & Extracurricular Activity COVID-19 Exposure

Stephanie McCloud, Director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), has ordered the following to prevent the spread of COVID-19 into the State of Ohio: Effective immediately,

For athletes and students involved in extracurricular activities whose exposure was not in a classroom setting, CDC continues to endorse quarantine for 14 days and recognizes that any quarantine shorter than 14 days balances [the] reduced burden [of quarantine] against a small possibility of spreading the virus [beyond 10 days].

CDC recognizes that reducing the length of quarantine may make it easier for people to quarantine by reducing the time they cannot play sports. Players, coaches, officials, or other individuals who had close contact (within six feet of an infected individual for at least 15 minutes) or who had direct physical contact with the person (e.g., who were coughed on or sneezed on by the infected person) and who remain asymptomatic may consider the following to consider stopping quarantine:

• After day 10 without testing
• After day 7 after receiving a negative test result (test must occur on day 5 or later)

After stopping quarantine, you should: 

• Watch for symptoms until day 14 after exposure
• If you have symptoms, immediately self-isolate and contact your local public health authority or healthcare provider. However, youth who are not required to quarantine due to exposure occurring in a classroom setting under the school-based exposure guidance are permitted to participate in organized sports activities and extracurricular activities as long as they remain symptom free and follow applicable guidance.