GONZAGA STUDENT ATHLETES FOLLOW NCAA PROTOCOL PER GONZAGA BULLETIN

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Gonzaga student athletes follow NCAA COVID-19 testing protocol
Gonzaga Bulletin by Cole Forsman Nov 11, 2020

Basketball remains the only GU sport to be guaranteed a season at the moment, with both the men's and women's teams receiving tests three times a week.

With help from the NCAA and the Spokane Regional Health District, Gonzaga University has implemented COVID-19 testing protocols for all Division I athletic programs on campus. These procedures have been uniquely created for each sport based on a number of factors that differentiate each sport from one another.

Due to the varying style of competition, the NCAA designed three levels of risk to determine testing protocols: low, medium and high. Categorizing each sport was determined by the degree of physical contact and proximity between athletes during practice and games.

Those that are considered high-risk, such as basketball, rowing and soccer, require athletes to undergo the most testing of any other sport. During the offseason the NCAA recommends polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on 25-50% of athletes every one to two weeks if face coverings and other precautions are not practiced. Testing frequency increases to three times a week once a season begins.

With all GU fall sports being pushed to spring, the men’s and women’s basketball teams are currently the only high-risk sports on campus that have upcoming competition.

“Right now, basketball [players] are being tested three times per week,” Shannon Strahl, senior associate director of athletics, said. “Since they’re the ones that have imminent competition, we’re obviously testing them more frequently.”

Once an athlete has been notified that they have been selected for a COVID-19 test, they report to the temporary clinic that’s been established in the Herak Club Room. Located on the south side of the McCarthey Athletic Center, athletes enter a sectioned area separated by curtains. Following the test, they leave through a different exit to avoid any unnecessary contact with other athletes entering the clinic.

In the event that a GU athlete tests positive for COVID-19, the process of containing the spread takes effect. Contact tracers begin identifying anyone that is considered at risk of contamination based on close proximity to the athlete, as athletic trainers and the SRHD are also notified of the news. Athletes and others considered at high-risk are to quarantine themselves for 14 days without participating in practice or other team activities.

Because the living arrangements for an athlete vary, maintaining player’s safety outside of their sport has presented a challenge according to Strahl.

As for the other lower-risk athletic programs, they currently follow similar procedures that the university has outlined for the general student body. This includes surveillance PCR tests conducted by the same laboratory GU has partnered with as well as the SRHD. And like students, athletes can expect test results back within 24-48 hours.

However, with the impending arrival of antigen testing, students will only have to wait minutes for their results.

“As soon as we, Gonzaga University, receive the equipment and training, we will be moving to the antigen testing,” Athletic Director Mike Roth said. “We’ll be able to get results back in 15 minutes.”

Once approved, athletic trainers themselves will be trained to conduct the tests on athletes both on campus as well as during traveling periods. This will ensure that all NCAA and SRHD testing regulations are followed accordingly while a team is outside of Spokane.

The target date to implement the new tests is before the men’s and women’s basketball teams begin their seasons in late November.

Until then, Roth and Strahl both expressed pride in the overall testing process the university and SRHD has designed for athletes and students.

“I feel really good about what we as a university are doing with our testing protocols for all of our students,” Roth said. “We’re making sure our student-athletes are being treated the same as our general student population.”

Strahl understood that while the constant tests might be tedious for athletes, the feeling of relief from negative results is reassuring for everyone.

“It’s definitely there to keep themselves and others safe while they’re trying to get ready to compete,” she said. “When we see negative after negative, it’s reassuring to them that they’re doing a good job.”

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What the Ivy League canceling its seasons means for college basketball, other sports
play

Nov 13, 2020 ESPN by MYRON MEDCALF

In an unfortunate echo of March, the Ivy League on Thursday became the first Division I league to cancel its men's and women's basketball seasons, announcing that it would not play any winter sports in 2020-21 and would delay a decision on spring sports until at least the start of March, 2021.

Will the Ivy's decision prompt other leagues and schools to consider canceling winter sports? What are the specific implications for college basketball, most notably the multibillion dollar revenue-generator that is the NCAA tournament? What issues are schools and conferences grappling with as they attempt to return to play amid the coronavirus pandemic? ESPN's team of college reporters addressed the latest on those fronts:

How much impact do you expect the Ivy League's decision to cancel the 2020-21 college basketball season to have on other Division I conferences?

I don't think this will be the first domino like it was back in March for conference tournaments. The Ivy League already was a step ahead of most conferences for this season, as it had already canceled nonconference games. Also, because the Ivy doesn't generally offer special exceptions to student-athletes, it was unlikely to bring student-athletes back on campus when the general population is learning remotely. Four of the eight schools in the league were operating on a remote basis in the fall, so those students likely weren't going to return until at least the spring semester -- and that's if the spring doesn't go remote as well.

Could another league follow suit? Perhaps. The most likely candidate would be the Patriot League, which has already canceled nonconference games and is generally in lockstep with the Ivy League on major decisions. But I don't see men's and women's basketball shutting down wholesale, Power 5 or non-Power 5, the way it did in March. -- Jeff Borzello

I'm not convinced there will be a mass exodus at this point, but men's and women's college basketball programs are wrestling with critical questions about the upcoming season. Can they afford to follow the protocols with testing and contact tracing? Officials at Saint Mary's of the WCC said they expect to spend $400,000 this year on testing for athletes. For most non-Power 5 leagues, the main source of pre-NCAA tournament revenue depends on the ability to hold games. Without fans or with limited crowds, those numbers are compromised. If schools can't arrange buy games, and especially if the Power 5 schools shift toward limited nonconference schedules, how much will college basketball cost those schools this season?

"I definitely think there will be a nonconference season," said one high-profile coach, while one non-Power 5 coach told ESPN he believes it's "impossible" for his league to play this season. The coaches with the most confidence about the upcoming season play in leagues where schools can create their own versions of a bubble with practice facilities, private dorms on campus, short walks between buildings and charter flights. The men's basketball practice facility at the University of Kentucky is next to the dorm for Kentucky basketball, where a chef prepares meals for players. But that's not the situation for everyone. Then again, the possible payout from the NCAA tournament is also the biggest motivator for those schools to keep going. -- Myron Medcalf

There's a very high level of concern and it's only growing as cases continue to increase around the country. There's very little confidence a full season of 27 or 28 games is going to be played. In talking to coaches around the country, I would place the average over/under around 16-18 games. Much of that simply has to do with the 14-day quarantine guidelines put in place and the lack of separation between different position groups. In football, you can have several positive tests and still play a game, or if there's a 14-day quarantine put in place for the entire team, you might miss only two games. Basketball is a completely different story. There are only 13 players on a team and they all practice together. There's no separating offense and defense or guards and forwards for an entire practice. And 14 days means at least four games. If a team has two cases of COVID-19 over the course of an entire season, that's at least eight games gone. -- Jeff Borzello

On Wednesday, UConn coach Geno Auriemma expressed confidence that the women's basketball season will start on time in two weeks. But he also referenced college football, which is going through a spate of coronavirus-related cancellations, to suggest his current confidence means little. "Let's put it this way: I'm as confident as college football was when they started their season," Auriemma said. "Why? Because everything is OK right now. Will everything be OK two months from now? I don't know. But I'm confident that we're going to be able to do what we need to do, and so far we've done everything that we've been asked to do.

Men's and women's basketball were among the winter sports the Ivy League opted to pull the plug on due to coronavirus pandemic concerns. Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire
"We're going to do what we need to do to make it work. Until when? Until we realize that, you know what, it's not in our best interests -- the players' best interests specifically -- to move on." -- Graham Hays

Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey, whose Lady Bears won the 2019 NCAA title, said her players "understand that there are no guarantees for tomorrow." She tells them to focus on what they can control.

"We're focused on basketball, but they're human. You just have a, I don't know if 'nervousness' is the word to use, but it's just the unknown," she said.

"[COVID-19] is here to stay, and we can do all the things we're supposed to do, and as you're seeing across the country, it's going to happen. What I'm gathering is administrators across the country, and even the NCAA, they just want you to, by golly, get those games in. It's not about wins and losses. Well, how do you tell Kim Mulkey it's not about wins and losses? But I understand the situation we're in with COVID, and I'm going to have to figure out how to survive and live and help our team get better, regardless of the score of ballgames." -- Mechelle Voepel

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I hope CLF keeps a tight bubble on her road games. We went on road trip in the beginning of October and stayed at one hotel in Cannon Beach, Oregon for 5 days. We did not eat out brought a cooler of food and bought a few items from a grocery store across the street. We did enjoyed ourselves visiting states parks and about 5 great beaches while keeping safe distances outside. At the hotel they fumigated disinfectant our rooms prior to our arrival, and housekeeping did not enter your rooms while you were their, we were their for 5 days. All staff at the hotel wore masks.

South Dakota is one of those states never to have a mask mandate and their are several states like that.
So with the Pandemic skyrocketing back to March levels, I worry South Dakota might not have no safety protocols at their hotels and grocery stores etc. South Dakota currently has the 2nd highest infection rate in the United States, with North Dakota being first.

If you go to the WBB South Dakota team web site they are selling season tickets for games, that is not a good sign. Coaches, players, fans want to fast forward to play games. But it would wise for the governors in all states to start taking actions now to help slow down the virus again until we have a vaccine to be given.

Strategy for coaches could change for players, only the game your currently playing is guaranteed. Senior players do you really want to rest on the bench, when the next days game could be canceled? Enjoy yourself Seniors and keep in the moment.
My hope is that the WBB Zags get to play every game and have none canceled due to Covid-19, lets do our part.

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Inslee to ban indoor gatherings and dining, plus issue more COVID-19 restrictions for Washington state, industry sources say
Nov. 14, 2020 at 4:31 pm Updated Nov. 14, 2020 at 8:21 pm
By Paul Roberts and Joseph O’Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporters

Gov. Jay Inslee will announce sweeping new restrictions Sunday to curb surging COVID-19 cases, including a ban on both indoor social gatherings and indoor service at restaurants and bars, closures of businesses such as gyms, and sharp occupancy limits for retailers and others, according to industry officials briefed by the governor’s staff.

A spokesperson for the governor would not confirm those reports, but also did not dispute details being circulated by industry associations about the restrictions, which are expected to take effect in the coming days.

Inslee has scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Sunday.

The restrictions had yet to be finalized Saturday, but appeared to confirm the most stringent scenarios that had emerged shortly after Inslee hinted Thursday that new measures were coming.

Set to last for four weeks, the new restrictions would limit retailers, such as grocery and convenience stores, as well as nail salons, to 25% of occupancy, according to those officials. Gyms, bowling alleys, museums, movie theaters and aquariums would be required to close, industry officials said.

Taken together, the rules would represent some of the tightest constraints placed on everyday activities in Washington since Inslee in March issued his original emergency stay-at-home order as the pandemic exploded across the state.

Like many other states, Washington is now tallying far more daily COVID-19 cases than the earlier peaks that hit in spring and summer.

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Inslee announces restrictions on social gatherings, bars, restaurants
by KOMO News StaffSunday, November 15th 2020

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced restrictions Sunday morning to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Washington state.

State health officials have reported a surge, with the highest ever number of single-day cases reported on Saturday.

The governor’s restrictions affect all social gatherings, bars, restaurants, retail, gyms, and religious services.

Indoor social gatherings with people outside of your household are prohibited, unless everyone quarantines for two weeks and tests negative for coronavirus. Outdoor social gatherings should be limited to five people from outside your household.

Restaurants and bars are closed for indoor service. Outdoor dining is limited to 5 people per table. To-go service is still allowed. Restaurant and bar restrictions go into effect 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Fitness facilities and gyms must close for indoor operations. Outdoor classes are allowed but are limited to five people.

Bowling Centers must close for indoor service.

All business meetings are prohibited. Only professional training and testing that cannot be done remotely is allowed. Occupancy for meetings is limited to 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer.

Movie Theaters are closed for indoor service. Drive-in movie theaters are permitted but must followed the current drive-in movie theater guidance.

Wedding and funeral receptions are prohibited. Ceremonies are limited to no more than 30 people.

In-store retail, including grocery stores, are limited to 25% occupancy and must close all seating areas.

Religious services are limited to 25% indoor occupancy or no more than 200 people, whichever is fewer. No choir, band, or ensemble can perform during the service and facial coverings must be worn at all times.

Long-term care facilities can only offer outdoor visits. There are exceptions for end-of-life care.

Youth and adult sports are limited to outdoor only. Masks are required for athletes.

During the Sunday morning press conference Inslee also announced that $50 million in grants and loans will be available to small businesses by the end of the year.

The restrictions are statewide and will take effect Monday, November 16 at 11:59 PM and will remain in effect until Monday, December 14. The modified restrictions of restaurants, however, will take effect Wednesday, November 18 at 12:01 AM.

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Thayne M. McCulloh
@Gonzaga_Prez
·
6h
We’ve got to keep working to break the chain of transmission,
and slow this thing down.

Job 1 is to do everything we can to keep ourselves, and each other, safe and healthy
reduce the spread
be there for those who do get sick,
and support our healthcare professionals.
#ZagUp��

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How Washington's new COVID-19 restrictions are different from March stay-home order
Krem News
Author: Casey Decker, 16 November 2020

SPOKANE, Wash — Responding to record-breaking levels of COVID-19 spread in the state, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the most severe restrictions on activity since his Stay Home, Stay Health order in March.
Although the case numbers are higher than they were in March, these restrictions are in fact less extensive than those implemented during the initial shutdown.

The fundamental difference: in March, nearly all activities were banned outright. More activities are allowed now, just with strict limitations on where and how.
Here's a list of some of the biggest changes:
Eating at restaurants is allowed, but only outdoors and with no more than 5 people at a table.
You can attend fitness classes if they're outside and socially distant.
Some types of social gatherings are okay this time. You can be outdoors with no more than five people. You can even be indoors if everyone quarantines two weeks beforehand, or one week if they get tested and it comes back negative.
Elective surgery is not banned.
Construction is not banned.
School districts have flexibility to allow some in-person learning, if the local health officer permits it based on local COVID data.
While movie theaters are closed, as they were in the first lockdown, this time there's an exception for drive-ins.
Retail stores can be open, unlike last time when only grocery stores and other essential services were allowed. The stores just have to make sure they don't go over 25 percent capacity.
Personal services, like barbers and hair salons, can stay open now, but they too must keep it to 25 percent capacity.
Weddings and funerals are okay this time with up to 30 people, though receptions are once again banned.
Church services are allowed at 25 percent capacity as long as that means no more than 200 people. Interestingly, there are specific bans this time on choirs and bands performing, as singing indoors has shown to be particularly dangerous during the pandemic.
Most teams sports are once again banned, however this time there's an exception for pro and college teams that follow rigorous protocols.

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Spokane Co. sees highest-ever COVID spike over the weekend; nearly 1,000 people test positive
Posted: November 16, 2020 3:00 PM
Updated: November 17, 2020 7:44 AM by Connor Sarles

SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane County has passed another gruesome milestone as 942 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.

Data from the Spokane Regional Health District shows that 425 people tested positive on Saturday, 300 on Sunday and another 217 heading into Monday. Saturday’s spike is the single highest surge in COVID-19 cases during the pandemic—last weekend saw a spike of 712 cases, the highest at that time.

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The Dakotas are 'as bad as it gets anywhere in the world' for COVID-19
Joel Shannon, USA TODAY Published 7:58 a.m. ET Nov. 14, 2020 | Updated 11:46 a.m. ET Nov. 15, 2020

South Dakota welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to a massive motorcycle rally this summer, declined to cancel the state fair and still doesn't require masks. Now its hospitals are filling up and the state's COVID-19 death rate is among the worst in the world.

Nov. 17, 2020, 5:19 AM PST
By Wilson Wong
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued the state's first mask mandate as coronavirus spiked in the last two weeks after months of disparaging face covering restrictions as “feel good” measures.

Reynolds, a Republican, announced Monday evening that all people above the age of 2 were required to wear face coverings indoors as the state's health care system was being "pushed to the brink."

“The pandemic in Iowa is the worst it has ever been,” the governor said. “No one wants to do this. I don’t want to do this.”

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I don't think people realize what a terrible impact that this 2nd wave of Covid-19 is having on current Health care workers. Where my wife works as a nurse there are currently 45 staff out with Covid-19, she is stressed beyond your imagination. Because of all these staff being out the nurses have to cover 3 times the amount of their regular patients, all while attempting not to get Covid-19 themselves. New nurses only stay for 1 or 2 weeks at the most because they can't handle the stress.

Pray for our health care workers, our Nursing Students, and every individual doing their part to fight this Pandemic.

Sioux Falls South Dakota borders Iowa. Iowa just started its first mask mandate today, 17 November 2020. I have relatives who live in Iowa 25 minutes form Sioux Fall. South Dakota. There are very tiny towns in Iowa so every weekend everybody goes to Sioux Falls and eats at restaurants their. Many of my relatives go to a large church in Rock Valley Iowa, nobody was ever wearing a mask, two of these relatives showed symptoms, and tested positive for Covid-19. The reason I put this information in here is because the ZAGS WBB play their first 3 games in Sious Falls, South Dakota, and their first 4 games our all in South Dakota.

This is very concerning and raises some RED FLAGS.

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NCAA basketball is much more stringent than other sports which the ZAGS WBB must be well are of. If one player on your NCAA basketball team test positive for Covid-19 the whole team sits out for 14 days no games no practices. So if this happens you could have 4 games scheduled for the next 2 weeks canceled just like that.

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I've been absent, like many medical professionals, twiddling my thumbs while I watch the world burn. Thank you, ZAB, for your brave submissions. Mayo Clinic (MN) has over a third (900 people) of their staff out sick due to Covid. That's completely unimaginable.

If you have sick or dead or fleeing healthcare workers, THERE WILL BE NO HOPE FOR OUR SOCIETY. That leaves zero resources to protect the vulnerable and elderly! I know we're all focused on basketball, but sports are only going to happen if the pandemic is managed intelligently. And that means everybody has to cooperate.

Healthcare workers are your LAST LINE OF DEFENSE, NOT YOUR FIRST. Your mask, your distancing, your handwashing, and staying at home is your first line. Your NOT gathering for Thanksgiving or any other social event is your first line. Social gatherings are literally killing people who didn't even attend said gathering. Anyone not taking these precautions is disrespecting brave and terrified frontline doctors and nurses.

Large gatherings in November means many smaller funeral gatherings in December.

I'm the first to say that I'm sick of all of this. But, imagine being a firefighter while the rest of society goes out and starts thousands of fires every day. You ask them to please practice fire safety, but they refuse and tell you that all the fires you've been exhaustively fighting everyday are just a hoax and that they have a right to start fires. And when they get burned, they don't believe it was the fire that caused it, even to the moment of their passing.

That's what it's like to work in healthcare right now.

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It's not real': In South Dakota, which has shunned masks and other COVID rules, some people die in denial, nurse says
Joel Shannon, USA TODAY Published 6:20 p.m. ET Nov. 17, 2020 | Updated 10:42 a.m. ET Nov. 18, 2020

Pfizer and Moderna have both announced promising results in the phase 3 trials of their COVID-19 vaccines.

South Dakota's high rates of COVID-19 and low virus regulation have sparked criticism even as some dying of the virus there don't believe it poses a real threat.

That's according to Jodi Doering, a South Dakota nurse who has gained national attention for her account of working on the front lines in a state where leaders have long minimized the impact of the virus and refused to implement rules like mask mandates.

"I have a night off from the hospital. As I’m on my couch with my dog I can’t help but think of the Covid patients the last few days. The ones that stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real," Doering wrote in a Saturday tweet.

"They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that 'stuff' because they don’t have COViD because it’s not real. Yes. This really happens."

In an interview with CNN, Doering said her description wasn't about a single patient. She tweeted after her frustration boiled over, as she recalled numerous patients whose dying words echoed the same theme: "This can't be happening. It's not real."

'This is unacceptable by any standards': The Dakotas are 'as bad as it gets anywhere in the world' for COVID-19

While many patients accept that they are sick with the virus, the ones who do not will often lash out in anger and grasp at other explanations, suggesting they have the flu or even lung cancer, she said. Doering said she often watches these patients' conditions deteriorate as she tries to convince them to say goodbye to loved ones.

Other health professionals have accused South Dakota's leaders of also being in denial.

Tuesday data from the COVID Tracking Project shows that South Dakota and neighboring North Dakota continue to have the highest per capita rates of COVID-19 infection and death in the nation.

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NCAA basketball is much more stringent than other sports which the ZAGS WBB must be well are of. If one player on your NCAA basketball team test positive for Covid-19 the whole team sits out for 14 days no games no practices. So if this happens you could have 4 games scheduled for the next 2 weeks canceled just like that.

The NCAA guidlines suggest that if any member in tier 1 (players, coaches,trainers) tests positive, all tier 1 should quarantine for 14 days. Looks like its a guideline rather than requirement. WSU is planning to play even though Kyle Smith has tested positive and he's clearly in tier 1.

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Cad thanks for what you do and the support. TD thanks for the feedback we will see how it all plays out when the season starts.

Of note theirs like 36 states that have a mask mandate. All of the MBB Zags non conference games are with states that have a mask mandate with exception of one. That one game is against Iowa on December 19 at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Why is this can't be a coincidence that both ZAGS MBB and ZAGS WBB both play basketball games in Sioux Falls South Dakota, and South Dakota in general. Any opinions from anybody on why? What would be your guess super nice facilities, place which you knew basketball would always be allowed to play, fans allowed to games, financial incentives, place where other top ranked teams would come to play?

So many RED FLAGS to me personally, the state South Dakota does not require masks, but saw that they will give masks to fans as they come into the stadium and require fans wear them. Well they say the same thing at Home Depot in Spokane but its not enforced, people walking around with no masks at all, many people wear masks just covering their mouth and not their nose. Oh yes no restrictions on eating at restaurants or indoor dining in S.D., so imagine fans will be eating from concession stands and then definitely won't have a mask on. Another thought is cooperation might be minimal for fans after initially getting their mask at the door, this is a state where people are used to not being told they have to wear a mask.

Another scary thought are all the Refs from S.D. also would imagine so. More bad news the WBB ZAGS play Wyoming for their 5th game of the year according to the JHCRC Wyoming is the only other state with a higher positivity rate than South Dakota (see article below).

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FACT CHECK: Gov. Noem’s COVID-19 comments
KELOLAND.COM ORIGINAL
by: Whitney Fowkes
Posted: Nov 19, 2020 / 05:16 PM CST / Updated: Nov 19, 2020 / 05:50 PM CST


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — On Wednesday, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gave multiple examples of how South Dakotans are doing with the fight against COVID-19 during a press conference held at the state’s capitol. She said other states have far higher new confirmed cases than South Dakota.

Looking at the data from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, South Dakota is listed as having a 55.9 percent positivity rate. Out of the 50 states, Wyoming (60.99%) is the only state with a higher positivity rate than South Dakota.

Noem referenced the new confirmed cases per 100,000 or 1,000 people.

“Now, some in the media are saying that South Dakota is the worst in the world right now, and that is absolutely false. I’d encourage you to look at the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. There you’ll see that there are other states with far higher new confirmed cases per 100,000/1,000 people compared to South Dakota,” Noem said.

According to Johns Hopkins, South Dakota is second when sorting by new confirmed cases, meaning more people test positive out of 100,000 people in South Dakota than 48 other states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provides data for cases per 100,000 people. South Dakota is listed second, with North Dakota first and Wyoming third. This data aligns with Johns Hopkins’ research as well.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — On Wednesday, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gave multiple examples of how South Dakotans are doing with the fight against COVID-19 during a press conference held at the state’s capitol. She said other states have far higher new confirmed cases than South Dakota.

Looking at the data from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, South Dakota is listed as having a 55.9 percent positivity rate. Out of the 50 states, Wyoming (60.99%) is the only state with a higher positivity rate than South Dakota.

Noem referenced the new confirmed cases per 100,000 or 1,000 people.

So this is just patently disingenuous. When you have testing positivity rates above 10% or so*, that means there are so many infections that you aren't testing enough. In other words, there are many, many more infections in the community that testing is not catching. This is a bedrock principle of epidemiology, and really isn't up for debate.

So, if ND/SD are near the worst in the world in terms of recorded numbers of cases per population, that means it is actually substantially even worse than what's reported by health officials.

Even with good testing, we miss at best 4 cases for every reported one (per Trevor Bedford at UW/Fred Hutch). At worst, probably 10. With inadequate testing like in SD, who knows how many? That doesn't bode well for CBB games being played there without significant risk. Are they having fans at these events? That would be nuts.



*WHO says 10%, CDC I think says 5%

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A College Basketball Tournament Needed a Safe Home. It Moved to a Covid Hot Spot.
November 17, 2020 in Sports WSJ

The coronavirus is ripping throughout South Dakota with ferocity proper now. The variety of circumstances and hospitalizations per day surged to their highest ranges of the pandemic final week, and the state’s weekly testing positivity fee of 58% is among the many highest within the U.S. About one in 14 folks in South Dakota have reported circumstances; one in 50 have energetic infections; one in 250 have been hospitalized.

Nowhere within the state is there extra virus than Minnehaha County. That’s the place organizers of the Unhealthy Boy Mowers Crossover Traditional in Sioux Falls—an occasion hosted by Sanford Well being, a serious South Dakota health-care system—consider they’ve taken sufficient precautions to welcome a dozen males’s and ladies’s faculty basketball groups from 10 states subsequent week.

The event can also be planning to permit crowds of roughly 850 folks, or 25% of the Gyms capacity, whilst different states with a lot decrease charges of an infection restrict indoor gatherings to a handful of individuals.

Organizers say the event will emulate the NBA’s bubble for the groups and they’re betting that frequent testing, stringent well being protocols and restricted contact with the encompassing neighborhood will reduce danger. The gamers shall be whisked from non-public flights to a resort with no outdoors visitors. Inside this managed setting they are going to be examined each different day with extremely delicate nasopharyngeal PCR swabs that may be processed inside hours.

The thought is that they are going to be in Sioux Falls however they may as nicely be on Mars.

“You’re not coming into the state of South Dakota. You’re coming into the Sports activities Advanced,” stated Jesse Smith, the Sanford Sports activities Advanced’s vice chairman of operations. “When the NBA went into Florida in July, that was thought-about the epicenter of the pandemic within the U.S., and so they proved the bubble idea. We predict we are able to replicate that very same idea, and we anticipate comparable outcomes.”

A dozen males’s and ladies’s faculty basketball groups from 10 states will play in South Dakota subsequent week.
Some groups nonetheless declined to play. Ohio State and Dayton pulled out as a result of they might have been topic to 14-day quarantines once they returned. They had been changed by St. Mary’s and Utah State—regardless that the College of Utah had nixed the event days earlier.

The eight males’s groups checking into their remoted resort are visiting from Nebraska, Utah, Tennessee, California, Texas, Kansas, West Virginia and elsewhere in South Dakota. They need to register unfavourable assessments inside 48 hours of leaving residence and shall be examined once more once they arrive and twice extra all through the week. “We really feel very strongly that in case you present up Covid-negative, we are able to hold you that method,” Smith stated.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the previous director of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, was unequivocal when requested if holding a basketball event in South Dakota in the meanwhile was a smart concept.
“That’s a no brainer,” he stated. “The reply to that could be a slam dunk: no.”

Additionally they disclosed another excuse for taking part in the event as scheduled.

“This is a chance for Sanford Well being to reinforce our presence on the nationwide stage as modern leaders within the struggle towards this pandemic,” the letter stated.

The Crossover Traditional’s bubble is completely different from the NBA’s. NBA teams were tested every day for greater than three months. The groups in South Dakota for lower than every week shall be examined each different day. “To check daily most likely doesn’t make lots of medical sense,” Vice President of Sanford Health Cauwels stated. He added that most of the athletes have contracted the virus already and will have a point of immunity.

Specialists worry that lots of of individuals gathering indoors for a number of hours may gasoline transmission in a area that’s already blazing with the virus.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The president and CEO of one of the nation's largest non-profit health systems says he won't be wearing a mask at work because he's recovered from COVID-19, and doing so would only be a "symbolic gesture" because he considers himself immune from the virus.

Kelby Krabbenhoft of South Dakota-based Sanford Health laid out his thoughts about having COVID-19, and why he wouldn't be wearing a mask, in an email sent to health system employees late Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 18, and obtained from multiple sources by Forum News Service.

Krabbenhoft said he is still experiencing "lagging coughs and fatigue," but told employees he was back in the office -- without a mask.

"For me to wear a mask defies the efficacy and purpose of a mask and sends an untruthful message that I am susceptible to infection or could transmit it," he said. "I have no interest in using masks as a symbolic gesture when I consider that my actions in support of our family leave zero doubt as to my support of all 50,000 of you. My team and I have a duty to express the truth and facts and reality and not feed the opposite."

Krabbenhoft's 1,000-word email provides a unique window into the thinking of the leader of the large health system, which has notably not joined cross-town rival Avera Health in supporting a public mask mandate in Sioux Falls, its hometown, even as local and statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations have surged.


Sanford Health employs about 48,000 and has major medical centers and more than 200 clinics in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.

Krabbenhoft, who is not a doctor, based his decision not to wear a mask on his view that he's developed an immunity to COVID-19.

"The information, science, truth, advice and growing evidence is that I am immune for at least seven months and perhaps for years to come, similar to that of chicken pox, measles, etc.," he wrote, without specifying sources for his claim.

However, the current science is far less clear that Krabbenhoft is immune for seven months, much less years. In South Dakota alone, health department officials announced late last month they were investigating 28 possible cases of COVID-19 reinfection, in people who had previously tested positive at least 90 days before.

[ZAGS ATTACK BASKET]

So lets break down the last two articles posted, Sanford Health is responsible for the well being of the 12 Basketball teams playing at the same gym in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The Vice President of Sanford Health Jeremy Cauwels has publicly said he believed most of the basketball players would have had Covid-19 already and now would have immunity.

The President CEO of Sanford Health Kelby Krabbenhoft said he had Covid-19 so he will not be wearing a mask to work and sent that in a E-mail to his 50,000 employees. President Krabbenhoft went on to say he is still showing symptoms of Covid-19.

Wow this is the organization that is responsible for the safety of 12 basketball teams to include WBB Gonzaga that are playing their the last week in November. Would any mother and father entrust the safety of their kids to a organization that publicly makes these kind of irresponsible statements and actions?

[ZAGS ATTACK BASKET]

BIG BAD MOWER CROSSOVER CLASSIC 8 men tournament that is being played 25-27 November has to keep replacing teams. Teams keep dropping out just in the last few days Texas A&M and Creighton dropped out . All the mens games are being played in the same Sioux Falls, S.D. gym where the Lady Zags will be playing. Only 3 of the original 8 MBB teams remain.

This is a updated list of MBB teams that will play in the MBB Big Bad Mower Crossover Classic: Northern Iowa, Western Kentucky, Saint Mary's, Memphis, Utah State, Wichita State, West Virginia, South Dakota State.

The five MBB that have dropped out are Duke, Ohio State, Dayton, Texas A&M, and Creighton.

All the mens games are scheduled to be on ESPN if you want to check out the gym and the 850 fans allowed inside each game.

Of note WBB South Carolina plays on their home court against Charleston on 25 November and they will be letting in 3,500 fans.

The hardest opponent each basketball team will face all year is trying to battle off Covid-19 from infecting their players and coaches.

[ZAGS ATTACK BASKET]

Spokane County hits a new one-day record with 513 positive cases on Monday
Nov 23, 2020 Updated 40 min ago KHQ

SPOKANE, WA - COVID-19 cases hit a new one-day high on Monday, with 513 positive cases. The previous record was 423 on November, 14.

There were 4 more deaths reported over the weekend bringing the total to 242 since the pandemic began.

According to the Spokane Regional Health District, 1 of the deaths was age 10-19.

[ZAGS ATTACK BASKET]

Fans won’t be allowed at upcoming Sanford Pentagon college basketball games

(Dakota News Now)
Published: Nov. 23, 2020 at 1:39 PM PST|Updated: 2 hours ago

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Organizers of an up coming college basketball tournament at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls say they have decided to not allow fans at the games.

Fans will not be allowed at the Bad Boys Mowers Crossover Classic due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Monday. They had previously planned to allow fans to attend the games.

The tournament is set to feature several major men’s and women’s college basketball programs from Nov. 25 through Nov. 30. The decision comes after some of the most notable programs scheduled to play in the tournament, including Duke, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Creighton, announced they were opting out of the games due coronavirus concerns.

“The situation involving COVID-19 continues to change, and at this point the safest thing we can do for the fans is to allow them to watch the Sanford Pentagon games from home. We believe the bubble atmosphere can keep the players and coaches safe, but the situation with COVID-19 in the community requires keeping people apart,” said Jeremy Cauwels, M.D., senior vice president of clinic quality at Sanford Health. “We realize that many people who were planning to make the trip to Sioux Falls will be disappointed, but we believe this is the right decision for all involved.”

Organizers say some of the measures in place include:

All members of each team’s traveling party must have a negative COVID-19 test within two days of traveling to Sioux Falls.
Each member will be tested immediately upon arrival in Sioux Falls, 24 hours before their first competition and once more before the final day of play.
All members will enter the building using a separate entrance and will only have access to the lower level of the facility.
All members will remain in a controlled environment throughout their stay. If any member of the traveling party tests positive for COVID-19, the team will be removed from the event.
All tickets will be refunded. Officials say to contact the Sanford Pentagon Box Office at 605-312-7900 for more information.

[upan8th]

Appreciate the ongoing updates ZAB. Two days out from the event in SoDak I don't believe we've heard the last of cancellation news bulletins. If it does go forward, just hope Zag's (and all the other teams' subsequent games) aren't disastrously affected by their decision to participate in Sioux Falls.

[ZAGS ATTACK BASKET]

Bad News Double Trouble RED FLAGS

1. South Carolina WBB playing at home against Charleston 11/25 in front of 3,500 fans. South Carolina WBB leads the nation in attendance so they will have 3,500 fans in the stands.

2. Oklahoma WBB playing at home against Houston 11/25 is allowing 2,500 fans. Looks like Oklahoma WBB averaged 2,254 fans last year.

These are 2 of our 3 opponents 11/28-11/30 with a high percentage of players coming into tournament having played 3 days prior to the tournament, in a possible super spreader event. Will test results show up in 3 days? Not good news for Lady Zags.

Does not matter how good of a basketball coach you are if you have no common sense for preventing Covid. Prime example look at MBB Baylor and Tennessee both coaches already have Covid-19 before the season starts.

Who ever scheduled the WBB Lady Zags Non conference games should have researched which schools were lackadaisical in their seriousness of fighting Covid-19. Heck it only takes a few seconds on line. Incompetence like this in the real world causes people to lose their jobs.

Will South Carolina and Oklahoma come to their senses prior their WBB 11/25 games?

Sadly I believe these colleges are desperate for money and put that above player safety. Time will tell.