From July 30 to Monday, three Georgia Tech athletes tested positive for COVID-19 out of 222 tests. That raises the total number to 11 Yellow Jackets athletes who have been found to have the coronavirus since they began returning to campus for voluntary workouts June 15.
The data was provided to the AJC by a Tech spokesman.
In-season athletes for higher-risk sports – football and volleyball – have been tested weekly. The most recent update continues a low rate of infection in recent weeks. In the roughly three weeks before, one Tech athlete tested positive out of 46 tests. In an interview last week, athletic director Todd Stansbury praised Tech athletes, coaches and staff for their adherence to safety protocols.
“Because it’s not just them, it’s everybody else that ends up getting affected (from a positive test),” he said. “So far, so good, but when you live in a glass house, you definitely don’t want to throw stones because things could change on a dime. But up to this point, I think our coaches have done a great job of getting the message across, and the student-athletes are totally bought in.”
At football practice, for instance, players and coaches are expected to follow social-distancing measures during practice, such as standing alone in circles that are painted throughout the sidelines to keep from congregating.
“If you come to our practices, we’re pretty much socially distanced the whole time unless we’re taking reps,” guard Jack DeFoor said Monday.
The strength of Tech’s protocols and athletes’ commitment to them will be tested soon, as the institute’s general student body began arriving this past weekend for the start of the semester. Official enrollment numbers are not yet available, but about 24,000 students were on campus last fall.
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