Nine Hazard football players, one coach COVID-19 positive. One common denominator found.
Hazard Independent High School is among the latest in Kentucky to suspend athletic team workouts as nine players and an assistant football coach have tested positive for COVID-19 since Tuesday, a health department official said.
Scott Lockard, director of the Kentucky River District Health Department in Hazard, told the Herald-Leader that voluntary athletic workouts were suspended for two weeks after a football player tested positive on Tuesday. On Friday, eight other football players and an assistant coach tested positive for the coronavirus, Lockard said.
On Saturday, he said all 10 were in quarantine at their homes.
Lockard said “the commonality” was that all had used a weight room at the high school.
On Thursday, a post on the Hazard Independent School District website said, “As we continue to monitor the spreading of COVID-19 in our state and community, our football and soccer coaches have decided to postpone all workouts until July 20th, 2020. As always, the safety of our students and staff comes first. Please keep those affected by this virus in your thoughts.”
Hazard High School Principal Happy Mobelini told WYMT that “we are at the mercy of the virus.”
“We hate it for the kids because they are so excited” about starting back, he said.
Elsewhere in the region, Lockard also said that youth baseball games had been suspended in Letcher County for two weeks after a player tested positive.
He said, additionally, a coach in Perry County Public Schools had tested positive for COVID-19 but there was not a need to suspend workouts in that district and precautions were being taken.
While affirming plans to have sports this fall, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association on Friday held off making a decision about when most of its fall sports can start official practices and kept in place current restrictions on practices due to the coronavirus pandemic through at least Aug. 2.
This story was originally published July 11, 2020 at 5:36 PM.