NCAA updates COVID-19 protocols following latest CDC guidelines

The NCAA updated its COVID-19 protocols for winter sports following the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which cut quarantine times. 

“The 2022 Winter Training and Competition document follows recent updates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including recommendations for quarantine and isolation,” the NCAA said in a statement. 

In late December, the CDC cut isolation times for people infected with COVID-19 from 10 to five days as long as they are asymptomatic. The agency said that the new policy applies to everyone regardless of vaccination status. 

“COVID-19 management considerations suggest five days of quarantine after a positive test with isolation ending after five days if there are no symptoms or symptoms are resolving,” the NCAA said. 

Those who have been infected should consider masking an additional five days after the quarantine period. Participation in athletics without a mask can be considered six to 10 days after a negative PCR or antigen test, according to the college organization. 

The NCAA also updated its policies on what it considers “fully vaccinated” to mean for “Tier 1” individuals such as coaches and student-athletes. 

Individuals who are “fully vaccinated” include those within two months of getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine; five months of having received the two-shot initial regimen of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; or within six months of getting the two-shot initial regimen of the Moderna vaccine. 

Individuals who are fully vaccinated also include those who have received a booster if they have gone over two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and if they have received a booster five and six months after the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, respectively.

“The omicron variant has presented another surge of cases across the country,” NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline said. 

“This guidance was designed to align with the latest public health directives. Given how the pandemic continues to evolve, it’s important that staff on member campuses continue to work with their local and state health officials on protocols most suitable for their locations,” Hainline added.

Many universities have moved online for the first few weeks of school due to the surge in cases from the omicron variant and have required the booster shot as a condition of returning to class.