Contact tracing to potentially impact high school sports teams this fall

LEBANON — Contact tracing could once again impact high school sports teams.

This week the season opener between Springboro and Lebanon has been canceled due to quarantine and contact tracing for some Lebanon players.

The cancellation can also serve as another reminder that the pandemic could still shake up sports schedules like it did a year ago.

“It’s unfortunate that we were the first ones to have to cancel a game,” Keith Pantling, Lebanon Athletic Director, said. “If there’s a silver lining I hope that it encourages others to – and I know it already has here in our building and hopefully at other schools that see the publicity that it’s gained – to take some safety measures to, although masks are optional in some places, to wear them when appropriate.”

Most schools have contact tracing done at a district level, while they follow guidance from county health departments.

The 2021-2022 school year could pose several different challenges for teams compared to a year ago.

“I can’t speak for every school but I think this was the case region wide, probably nationwide, that if you had the option to go virtual you did as an athlete, especially an upper classman to avoid that chance of quarantine,” Pantling said. “A lot of places don’t have that option this year.”

Many schools have been encouraging teams to be outside when possible as frequently as they can to try and avoid large numbers gathered together indoors to protect from potential spread or issues with contact tracing.

In this specific instance with Lebanon, Pantling said there was nothing negligent, sometimes you can have to quarantine just because of your everyday routine. Especially as schools return and there are changes with masking and number of students in the building at one time.

“We’re increasing attendance, there’s more people in the building,” Pantling said. “In terms of congested areas and things you increase class sizes, whatever it may be. And all of that with optional masks and we’re dealing with 14 to 18 year old kids.”

Guidelines on quarantine from contact tracing vary depending on vaccination status, whether one or more people are wearing a mask and if the contact was within a certain distance either inside or outside.

These are some different guidelines than a year ago but Pantling said he hopes this serves as a reminder for athletes to either follow guidance from team/school or simply reconsider some choices so that others don’t have to miss games like what happened across the Miami Valley and country a year ago.

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