CMS restarts sports against health director advice. ‘I have concerns,’ Harris says.
Mecklenburg Health Director Gibbie Harris on Friday reaffirmed her support for in-classroom learning but also revealed she’d asked Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to not restart most sports due to COVID-19 spread — guidance the district did not heed.
“We do know that those sports are high risk for exposure,” Harris said Friday during a news conference, where she was asked about upcoming sports schedules and high school football practice, which is expected to start as early as Feb. 8. Harris said several virus clusters locally have been traced back to sports teams from public and private schools.
A health directive from Harris — which was amended and extended to Feb. 28, as announced Thursday — urges all non-essential activities be postponed or done virtually. In a change to Harris’ guidance for Mecklenburg County, she removed language that specifically instructed schools be virtual only.
But Harris said Friday she’d asked CMS leaders to “delay the start” of sports.
“As always, the school system and the board of education makes those decisions. So, I have concerns about those sports starting back up,” Harris said.
CMS on Wednesday announced plans to resume high school sports in phases beginning next week, including swimming, basketball, cheerleading, lacrosse and soccer.
Superintendent Earnest Winston said Friday that case trends are heading in the right direction to resume sports, arts and other extracurricular activities.
The county’s directive isn’t mandatory, Winston said, but said he saw it as an effort to get the attention of the public to take precautions to limit spreading the virus.
“Athletics (and) arts, it is a privilege that our students enjoy,” he said. “We understand the important role it plays in their social and emotional well-being....However, if conditions are such where protocols are not being followed, then I will not hesitate to reverse the decision.”
The Observer reported Thursday that Harris’ directive — which is not enforced like a stay-at-home order and carries the weight of an advisory rather than law — had earlier influenced CMS’ decision to extend remote learning through at least Feb. 12.
The school board is expected to meet Feb. 9, and the district is currently scheduled to start in-person learning in mid-February, bringing younger students back first.
Harris’ directive emphasizes the public must stay vigilant to get coronavirus spread under control. She urges residents to keep following these safeguards:
- Stay home and only go out for essential activities, such as for accessing food and healthcare
- Avoid leaving home if you are 65 and older, or are at greatest risk of illness
- Stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
- Wear a mask at all times outside your home, social distance, and wash your hands
- Avoid gathering with people beyond your household
- Quarantine and get tested if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19
- Get a flu shot and get the COVID-19 vaccine when you’re eligible
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 4:29 PM.