Are you ready for some prep football in New Orleans?

By Ron Brocato, Clarion Herald

There will be a high school football season, and games can be played in New Orleans stadiums.

The director of the city of New Orleans’ Health Department, Dr. Jennifer Avegno, announced at a press conference Sept. 21 that the mayor’s office has authorized high school football teams in Orleans Parish to begin preparations for the season. In addition, playgrounds will also be allowed to reopen.

Avegno said Mayor LaToya Cantrell has given approval for contact sports to take place at the city’s stadiums and schools’ gymnasiums if strict, comprehensive protocols for all students, coaches and staff are practiced to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Under a Gov. John Bel Edwards decree, high schools in other parts of Louisiana have been permitted by the LHSAA to hold full-contact football practices for the last two weeks in advance of a shortened, eight-week football season that begins Oct. 1-3.

City’s case rate has fallen

Cantrell did not apply those protocols to schools within Orleans Parish because the number of COVID-19 cases had not fallen to a level she felt was safe. Thus, the city remained in Phase 2 of the recovery.

That changed on Monday with Avegno’s noon announcement.

“Understanding the social (and) emotional benefits that athletics provide, we really wanted to do our due diligence to make sure we could make this safe for everyone,” Avegno said. “We have worked alongside public health experts, with the medical experts at the state and those with the LHSAA, and we created a task force of local high school leaders, coaches and (representatives of) facilities to assemble a comprehensive set of protocols to reduce risk.”

The LHSAA has released a list of regulations that are statewide, not just applicable to New Orleans. They include student and coach screening protocols and restrictions on play; strict regulations for on-field activities, including masking, distancing, limiting personnel, benches, locker rooms and team transportation; strict sanitizing and hygiene practices; and isolation and quarantine protocols for athletes and their contacts. Those guidelines mirror those of the federal Centers for Disease Control.

“It’s very important to us to keep our athletes and their families safe,” Avegno said.

There also is an athlete’s code of conduct to help limit high-risk behavior off the field and access to testing.

“It is our hope that these restrictions help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among our student athletes, and most importantly, the people that care for them and the family members they go home to,” she said.

LHSAA protocols are strict

In accordance with the LHSAA guidelines for conducting athletic events in a safe environment, spectators will be limited. Stadiums will be restricted to 25% of normal occupancy or 250 individuals, whichever is fewer.

For volleyball matches, indoor gymnasiums will also be limited to 25% of permitted occupancy or 100 individuals, whichever is fewer.

LHSAA Executive Director Eddie Bonine said working media does not count against the limited number of attendees. Avegno warned that everyone attending a game must wear a mask and socially distance. LHSAA guidelines cover protocols that pertain to the fall sports of football, volleyball, cross country, swimming and cheerleading.

Last week, the Jefferson Parish Public School Board approved requests by some Orleans Parish public and Catholic schools to move their home games to 8,000-seat stadiums at East Jefferson and West Jefferson high schools. But, with the restrictions lifted in Orleans Parish, games may be played at City Park’s Tad Gormley Stadium (24,500 capacity) and Pan American Stadium (4,000).

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