Quarantine requirements for out of state competitions could disrupt high school teams

Even though declining COVID-19 infection rates have moved Los Angeles County from the red tier to the orange tier and possibly into the least-restrictive yellow tier later this month, there’s a looming conflict involving sports competitions.

Under updated guidance, high school athletes who leave the state to compete must quarantine for 10 days if they don’t get tested and seven days with testing. Club soccer and club basketball competitions are happening out of state, and those athletes who also compete for their high school teams will need to quarantine upon their return, forcing coaches and athletes to adjust.

A Loyola High soccer player recently returned from a competition in Dallas and now won’t be available until next week.

There are lots of club basketball events coming for boys and girls on weekends in Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Indiana and Georgia. Coaches can change their schedules to allow players to participate in club events, but the quarantine, if enforced, could be an issue.

“My guess is there’s going to be internal and external disruptions,” said Dinos Trigonis , executive director of the Belmont Shore club basketball program.

Under the current youth sports rules, tournaments are not allowed in California and events are limited to two opponents. Unless the California Department of Public Health modifies that restriction, playoffs are unlikely for certain spring sports, but the CIF continues to seek updated guidance from state officials. The Southern Section has promised to make a decision about playoffs by April 13.

Another obstacle is attendance restrictions. State guidance continues to limit outdoor events to immediate family households and for indoor events, there can’t be more than 10% capacity in the gym, meaning if capacity is 1,000, only 100 people are allowed, including players, coaches, officials and administrators.