CIF Announces New Guidelines for the Return of Various Sports
CIF recently defined necessary guidelines needed for the return of sports in California.
As COVID-19 cases continue to decrease in California, there has been talk of the return of high school sports. Low contact sports, such as cross country and track and field, have already been cleared to meet and practice on campus. For higher contact sports, such as soccer, football, or baseball, the qualifications needed to return are more extensive.
In January, CIF created a tier list that determined which sports were allowed to play for counties at the varying COVID tiers.
San Diego is currently in the purple tier, meaning golf, swimming and diving, and tennis are the only sports allowed to return to campus for practice. (Refer to the chart below for more information.)
Recently, CIF has changed their guidelines, so that outdoor sports in the Red and Orange Tiers, would be allowed to return to practice once a county’s COVID-19 adjusted case rate is less than or equal to 14 per 100,000.
Previously, a county had to have an adjusted case rate of 7 per 100,000 or lower to be in the Red tier, and 4 or less per 100,000 to be in the Orange tier.
San Diego’s current adjusted case rate is 22.2 cases per 100,000, not yet qualifying for the loosened restrictions. However, as numbers approach the new guideline of 14 per 100,000, Del Norte High School may see the return of sports like soccer and football in the 3rd trimester.
CIF has not made any official announcements about the sports in the yellow tier such as basketball and volleyball, which are categorized as the highest risk sports, and it is unclear when they can return.