Return to Play Plan for High Contact Sports

By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Thursday, February 25th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories

EASTERN OREGON – The Cascade Collegiate Conference announced the approval from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) of the league’s comprehensive Return to Play Plan for high contact sports.

Early this month, Oregon Governor Kate Browns’ office announced it would accept Return to Play Plans for college sports, as well as high school activities, that had been prohibited during the pandemic.

The revised Return to Play Plan includes strict daily wellness screening, twice per week testing for men’s and women’s basketball and stringent procedures for mitigating against the introduction and spread of COVID-19. The conference will use a combination of PCR/Antigen testing to comply with the approved plan.

“We are grateful to the experts at the OHA for their guidance as we worked through their recommendations related to our submitted plan and ultimately led to final approval,” said CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell, “The conference office, as well as the coaches and administrators, are anxious to get going in providing the best experience we can for our men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes.”

While a final schedule is not yet worked out, the conference and the Council of Athletic Directors have been working on various options. The desire is that conference action can begin as early as the weekend of March 19-20.