Gilbert Higley High School college and junior varsity football teams have been quarantined after multiple confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, the Higley Unified School District said in a statement.
Players who have a vaccination certificate that is approved for people aged 12 and over and have no symptoms do not have to adhere to the requirement, the district officials said.
Monday was the first day of official soccer training in helmets for large schools (4A to 6A). Higley is expected to fight for a 5A title this season under coach Eddy Zubey.
Zubey said he was unable to comment under the district policy.
“The Maricopa County Department of Health has ordered the quarantine of the JV and varsity soccer teams at Higley High School based on several confirmed positive COVID-19 cases,” Higley School District Public Relations Officer Teresa Joseph wrote in an email sent to the Arizona Republic. “With immediate effect, the soccer team must be quarantined for ten days and cannot attend any school or school-related activities during this quarantine period.
“If a student has evidence of COVID-19 vaccination, meets the quarantine policy exemptions, and has no symptoms, they don’t need to be quarantined.”
Higley is unlikely to miss his season opener on September 3rd and will likely face Scottsdale Saguaro in the last week of August. At least two other high school soccer teams in Arizona were forced to suspend training after a Covid outbreak, Duncan in eastern Arizona and Desert Vista in Ahwatukee.
“The Higley High School community was informed of this through an official outbreak notice. Currently, this case information does not support school-wide closure, ”said Joseph’s email.
“Our top priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our HUSD community. We have found that the best way to keep COVID-19 off our campus is to be vigilant and stay at home when you are unwell and strongly recommend the use of face covers to prevent the spread of our schools .
“As we move forward and continue to face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our district leadership team, in collaboration with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, will continue to monitor our HUSD COVID-19 dashboard, and we will work with site administration to implement additional mitigation strategies to reduce the spread on this campus. “
To suggest ideas for stories of human interest and other news, contact Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.
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