Cluster of COVID-19 cases forces Charlotte 49ers to suspend basketball activities

All practices and in-person meetings of the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team have been suspended after the athletics department announced Tuesday a cluster of seven cases of COVID-19 cases among players and staff.

According to a release by UNC Charlotte, the positive tests were discovered through self-reporting of symptoms in the university’s contact tracing protocols and regular testing required by Conference USA.

According to the statement, “the individuals are in isolation with proper medical care, and the University’s contact tracing team is currently notifying any affected members of the UNC Charlotte community to begin quarantine protocols. All practices and in-person meetings for the basketball team have been suspended until all remaining student-athletes and staff are cleared through subsequent testing.”

A cluster is defined by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services as a minimum of five cases with illness onsets or initial positive results within a 14-day period and plausible epidemiologic linkage between cases.

Men’s basketball practice was scheduled to begin Wednesday, although the team had been holding workouts since early September.

The 49ers football team canceled its game against North Carolina on Sept. 19 when nine members of the offensive line went into contact tracing quarantine after one player tested positive.

The 49ers last reported (through Sept. 26) a total of 4,745 tests had been administered to athletics, coaches and staff since June 10, with 23 positive cases reported.

This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 9:45 PM.