Carolina Athletics Roadmap For Fall 2020

Last updated on September 11, 2020

Introduction

In March, the 2019-20 academic year changed abruptly for everyone. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the country and world, several of UNC's winter sports teams saw their seasons end on the brink of participating in NCAA championship tournaments, while spring sport student-athletes and coaches saw their championship hopes cut short. The closure of campus required students and faculty to transition to remote learning. Athletics department staff quickly responded to help support Tar Heels make the transition while simultaneously initiating preparations for their highly anticipated return.

Through it all, Carolina Athletics has remained closely engaged with University leadership. The Carolina Athletics Roadmap For Fall 2020 is the result of collaborative information collection, planning and strategic decision making. It relies upon information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as the thoughtful guidance provided by campus leaders and experts, state and local public health officials, and peer institutions. The aim is to help all student-athletes and department employees safely and confidently return to campus to pursue the opportunities for which we have such great passion.

The issues surrounding the pandemic continue to evolve, and this Roadmap is an initial plan that will continue to be updated. UNC Athletics will closely monitor local, state and national developments and update our standards and safety protocols, as needed. The safety of all Tar Heel student-athletes, coaches and staff will always be the top priority.

UNC Athletics will meet this challenge and create a supportive environment that is aligned with the Carolina community. Together we win!

A message from UNC athletics head coaches:

Returning to the Workplace and to Athletic Activities

Beginning June 1, the department's facilities will be cleaned and prepared for coaches, student-athletes and athletics personnel to return to campus in a coordinated and phased process to better manage facility preparation, density, and distribution of important supplies. UNC's athletics spaces are unique. The needs and timelines for its student-athletes and staff vary across competition seasons. Therefore, with input from Sports Medicine and Facilities leadership, each unit supervisor has created a return plan for staff members, while head coaches have collaborated with sport administrators to plan and coordinate the return of coaching staffs and student-athletes. The department's Human Resources personnel will provide information and guidance to employees who continue to work remotely after their respective unit returns.

Current Schedule
Team / Personnel	Date	Action
Facilities	June 1, 2020	Clean, disinfect and prepare all department facilities. Community protective equipment (CPE) and cleaning supplies will be allocated to ensure proper distribution and availability
Sports Medicine	June 8, 2020	Prepare for student-athlete arrival
Football coaches and staff, Men's and Women's Basketball coaches and staff, and Group 1 football student-athletes	June 12, 2020	Return for COVID-19 testing. Testing for Men's and Women's Basketball coaches and staff may be delayed based upon alternative return dates.
Football coaches, staff, and Group 1 football student-athletes	June 15, 2020	Prepare for the 2020 season and begin assessments and physical conditioning
Men's and Women's Basketball coaches and staff	June 15, 2020 (tentative)	Prepare for return of teams and the 2020-21 academic year
Athletics Director's Office, Equipment staff, Strength and Conditioning coaches	June 15, 2020	Prepare for 2020-21 academic year and return of teams and personnel
Group 2 Football student-athletes	June 19, 2020	Return for COVID-19 Testing
Group 2 Football student-athletes	June 22, 2020	Begin assessments and physical conditioning
Men's and Women's Cross Country, Field Hockey, Men's and Women's Soccer and Volleyball coaches and staff	June 22, 2020	Prepare for return of teams and the 2020-21 academic year after COVID-19 testing to be arranged with Sports Medicine staff
Group 3 Football student-athletes	June 26, 2020	Return for COVID-19 testing
Group 3 Football student-athletes	June 29, 2020	Begin assessments and physical conditioning
All remaining Football student-athletes	June 29, 2020	Return for COVID-19 testing
All remaining Football student-athletes	July 1, 2020	Begin assessments and physical conditioning
Men's and Women's Basketball student-athletes	July 6, 2020	Return for COVID-19 testing
Men's and Women's Basketball student-athletes	July 8, 2020	Begin assessments and physical conditioning
Men's and Women's Cross Country, Field Hockey, Men's and Women's Soccer, and Volleyball student-athletes	July 13, 2020	Return for COVID-19 testing
	July 15, 2020	Begin assessments and physical conditioning
All additional winter and spring sport coaches and staff (Baseball, Men's and Women's Fencing, Men's and Women's Golf, Gymnastics, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Rowing, Softball, Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Track and Field, and Wrestling)	July 27, 2020	Return for COVID-19 testing and prepare for return of teams and the 2020-21 academic year
All additional department units and ASPSA	On or after August 3, 2020	Prepare for the 2020-21 academic year and return to full operations
All additional winter and spring sport student-athletes (Baseball, Men's and Women's Fencing, Men's and Women's Golf, Gymnastics, Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Rowing, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Men's and Women's Tennis, Track and Field, and Wrestling)	Beginning the week of August 3, 2020 according to the campus schedule for all students	Return for COVID-19 testing, to begin the 2020-21 academic year and begin assessments and physical conditioning

Student-athletes should self-quarantine or wear a mask in public and social distance for at least a week prior to returning to campus. Housing for returning football, men's basketball and women's basketball student-athletes will be arranged by creation of separate and distinct groups in off-campus residences and campus residence halls. Daily activity schedules for each group of student-athletes will be managed to avoid potential exposure to individuals who have not been tested for COVID-19. Meals and snacks for returning student-athletes will be provided as permitted by NCAA rules. All meals and snacks provided by the department will be packaged in containers for takeout and training table for football student-athletes will be closed at least until July.

Testing

Upon return to campus for the Fall semester, all student-athletes, coaches, sports program staff and staff members who work closely with direct contact with student-athletes will be tested for COVID-19 and must test negative for the virus before they can interact in-person with student-athletes. Student-athletes who initially test negative will be re-tested after 7-8 days and again if they become symptomatic. Personnel and students who choose not to be tested will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

Beginning the week of August 17, football student-athletes and staff members who work closely with football student-athletes will be tested once a week. competitive schedules for all fall sports considered high risk – football, men's and women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball – student-athletes and staff members who work closely with those teams will be tested three times a week. Cross country student-athletes and staff members who work closely with that team will be tested once every other week. All student-athletes and staff will be tested if they are symptomatic. We will follow testing guidelines set by the University, ACC and NCAA for all student-athletes, and we will continue to evaluate our testing protocols.

Coaches and staff who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to quarantine at home or another safe location. Guidance will be provided by Dr. Mario Ciocca, UNC's Director of Sports Medicine.

Student-athletes who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to quarantine in a campus residence hall specified by the university or at their permanent residence. The location, requirements and protocol for the quarantine will be coordinated and approved by Dr. Ciocca. The department will coordinate the provision of academic and medical accommodations to impacted student-athletes.

Every student-athlete, symptomatic or otherwise, who tests positive will undergo a cardiac evaluation that includes an electrocardiogram (ECG), a troponin test and an echocardiogram after isolation and before a phased return to exercise and re-acclimatization. Further workup may be required for those who had a more severe illness or as symptoms warrant. If abnormalities are found during this battery of tests, the student-athlete will not be permitted to participate until additional cardiac testing is completed and the student-athlete has received medical clearance from team physicians.

When an individual in the Carolina community tested at Campus Health tests positive for COVID-19, the University will notify the Orange County Health Department and will conduct contact tracing of those individuals who meet the CDC definition of close contacts. These close contacts will be provided instructions regarding quarantine and self-monitoring for potential symptoms. Carolina Athletics will follow University protocols regarding the reporting of COVID-19 cases. The University's dashboard for tracking COVID-19 cases can be found here: https://carolinatogether.unc.edu/dashboard/.

All athletics personnel and student-athletes must self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 daily before they arrive on campus or at a practice site. Football, men's basketball, women's basketball and fall sport program coaches, staff and student-athletes will enter athletics facilities or begin participation in athletics activities, whichever occurs first, at a designated location.

Community Standards for Health and Safety

The Department of Athletics' community standards are guided by those established by the University. The unique nature of intercollegiate athletics instruction, participation and support requires we take additional measures and modify protocols to protect the health and safety of all involved. All department staff and student-athletes are expected to fully comply with these standards.

Monitor Symptoms

Stay home if you are not feeling well. All employees and student-athletes must conduct a daily review of COVID-19 symptoms before arriving on campus or at a practice site. Anyone experiencing any of the following COVID-19 symptoms must not come to campus:

Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fever
Repeated shaking with chills
Muscle pain
Sore throat
New gastrointestinal symptoms
Sudden loss of taste or smell
Congestion or runny nose

Employees experiencing symptoms should notify their health care provider and supervisor. Student-athletes should notify their athletic trainer or Dr. Ciocca and their head coach. Any individual who has tested positive for COVID-19, who has been referred for testing or who is awaiting test results may not come to campus for any reason until approved to do so by Employee Occupational Health or Dr. Ciocca.

Additional information about COVID-19 symptoms is available from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) here.

Face Coverings or Masks

Staff and student-athletes are encouraged to bring their own face coverings or masks but will be provided one by the department if needed. Facilities staff will coordinate delivery and distribution efforts with unit heads, sport administrators and head coaches.

All employees and student-athletes must wear a face covering or mask when inside a University facility and in settings where physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain. (e.g., meeting rooms, hallways, and training areas). All employees and student-athletes must wear a face covering or mask when inside a University facility and in settings where physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain. (e.g., meeting rooms, hallways, and training areas). Masks may not be required for outdoor conditioning if appropriate distancing measures can be maintained.

Additional information about face coverings or masks is available from the CDC here.

Disposable Gloves

According to the CDC, gloves are not necessary for general use and do not replace good hand hygiene. Frequent hand-washing is considered the best practice for common everyday tasks. Disposable gloves will be provided to facilities staff members and others who frequently exchange objects or materials with the public.

Additional information about wearing gloves is available from the CDC here.

Physical Distancing

All staff and student-athletes should make every effort to maintain appropriate physical distancing – a minimum of 6 feet distance (or 200 square feet per person, or about two arms lengths away) – from others at all times. Avoid assembling or convening in groups of greater than 10 people indoors. For gatherings and meetings that cannot meet these requirements, Zoom or another form of teleconferencing should be used. The only exception to this standard is when student-athletes participate in a physical or team activity supervised or conducted by a coach and athletics trainer and in such cases, alternative and appropriate precautions will be taken.

Common areas such as break rooms, offices, restrooms, elevators, and conference rooms should be used only while adhering to physical distancing guidance. A facility use plan has been created for all athletics facilities. Occupancy limits for such areas will be communicated with temporary signage and visual cue marks will be utilized to support physical distancing practices.

Additional information about physical distancing is available from the CDC here.

Wash Hands

For the health and safety of everyone, you must wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and if soap is not readily available, use hand sanitizer instead. Hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies will be made available to unit heads, sport administrators and head coaches for distribution to staff and student-athletes. Hand sanitizer dispensers will also be added at building entryways and locations throughout athletics facilities.

Do not touch other people (e.g., handshake, high five) and do not let them touch you. If this occurs, do not touch your face and wash your hands as soon as possible. According to the CDC, the most common form of transmission of the COVID-19 virus occurs when a person touches another person or object then touches their face.

Additional information is available from the CDC here.

Meals

Staff members are encouraged to eat meals outside, if possible. Meals eaten inside an athletics facility should be eaten alone or properly distanced from other individuals, and employees must clean all impacted surfaces using cleaning products provided by the department. Delivery of food should be accepted outside of athletics facilities. All meals and snacks provided to student-athletes will be pre-packaged for takeout consumption.

Cleaning and Sanitizing

Staff members are responsible for using available supplies to clean and disinfect their work area at the beginning and end of each workday. This includes light switches, door handles, phones, keys, keyboards and mouse, and other equipment and furniture that are typically touched throughout the day. Staff members should also clean shared equipment (e.g., copiers, printers) after each use. Common spaces and high-touch surfaces will be more frequently cleaned by department and University cleaning personnel. Cleaning and sanitizing is a shared responsibility

Additional information about the University's community standards is available here.

Facility Use

Department staff will coordinate with UNC Facility Services to ensure all department facilities are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before student-athletes and employees return. Plans for each facility address occupancy limits for offices, shared spaces, elevators and restrooms. Temporary signage and other visual cues communicate important safety information and facilitate proper physical distancing. In some areas, furniture and amenities have been arranged or removed.

The department has established a direct contact for each athletics facility to ensure timely response to occupant needs and supply of CPE and cleaning supplies. Cleaning and sanitation standards have been enhanced to increase frequency and communicate proper protocols. High touch areas will be sanitized daily. Cleaning and sanitation instructions will be provided to all staff.

Visitors are currently not permitted inside department facilities until further notice. Employees are not permitted to use indoor training facilities for their personal use and attendance at all team activities is limited to essential student-athletes and employees.

Additional Information and Resources

Carolina Together: UNC's Roadmap For Fall 2020
UNC Health Coronavirus Website
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC Prevent Getting Sick
CDC Steps What to Do If You Are Sick
CDC Frequently Asked Questions

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