lsu gameJust like the situation of college football players, the reigning national champions are also fighting the global pandemic due to the novel coronavirus. Not less than a quarter of the LSU football team was quarantining this week. According to the reports, it was all due to the virus-related issues. Despite such measures, the number of players that are not well is fluctuating every time tests are being conducted. Almost 30 out of the total 115 players of LSU have been kept in isolation. These players have either been in contact with someone who was infected or has tested positive themselves.
On June 20, 2020, last week, the highest authorities of the athletic department of LSU were requested to comment on the situation. However, the officers denied doing the same stating strict laws regarding medical privacy. Instead, they referred the name of the athletic trainer, and senior associate of LSU, Shelly Mulenix for a better source of information. However, even Mullenix denied to state a specific number regarding players who are infected or under quarantine.
She indirectly said that the current situation of LSU was the same as that around the country after the mass gatherings due to protests, and the holiday for Memorial Day. According to Shelly, the rise in numbers is not a shocking thing at all. She said that such a situation is normal in a state of the pandemic that we are in right now. What is commendable is that the team and management had apprehended such a serious situation already. Since they were all prepared to face this, she is happy to say that there is nothing more than a subtle illness that the players are experiencing.
The cause of such widespread infection
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It is a good thing that none of the members or players of LSU have had to be hospitalized. They are not experiencing anything beyond just the basic symptoms. The management is thankful that all the players were present on campus because here they can access proper tests quickly. The test reports are also more trustworthy in this case. On the contrary, a chunk of football players of LSU has been sent to quarantine following the news of them frequently visiting Tigerland, an array of nightclubs very close to the school campus.
On June 19, 2020, the Health Department of Louisiana announced about more than 100 people being tested positive. These were all people who were visiting the nightclubs frequently. The Department has further warned the others who visited the same places to isolate themselves and quarantine for the next 14 days. Even in this condition, Shelly Mullenix is always on her toes. She is constantly in contact with the Health Department of Louisiana.
Mullenix is discussing team trends and reports with the health officials every day. It is helping in the process of detection of more infected people. The same has also been the major source by which the Tigerland case was detected. On the contrary, potentially infected or infected players of LSU are staying in isolation along with their roommates only. They are using the same on-campus accommodation even now. What is more, is that some of them are also indulging in outdoor workout sessions with other quarantine members. However, they are not supposed to do so.
What makes the tests easier?
At the same time, continuous tests are being conducted utilizing the contact-tracing method. Moreover, the school received considerable good news on June 19, 2020. Reports of a bunch of players who had visited the nightclubs turned out to be negative after proper testing. Shelly Mullenix is quite sure of the fact that the safety procedures that they are maintaining are showing all the positive results. She has mentioned that none of the cases have developed from working out together. Rather, all of the players have tested positive following their visit to the restaurants, and bars.
The trainer adds that the entire procedure becomes easier when the kids are honest enough to tell them about their latest movements. It becomes much easier to trace the source of contamination faster. As a result, players can also be treated accordingly for faster outcomes. However, information can often be half correct. For example, wearing a mask becomes effective only if you don’t wear it below your nose. In that case, you may catch the infection despite taking the proper precaution.
Present health infrastructure of LSU
LSU is reportedly one of those very few institutions that did not conduct 100% tests when the students got back to the campus at the beginning of June. They only concentrated on administering a possible antibody test. However, that decision does not have much of an impact on the current surge. Mullenix adds that the surge is instead the result of crowding in the Baton Rouge Community.
Presently, the school has taken an initiative of conducting vigorous testing of whoever shows even the mildest of symptoms. The ones who have come in contact with the former group are also having to go through proper tests. The management of LSU believes in being safe rather than regretting later. So, they are sending players into isolation even if there is a remote chance of infection in them. Shelly Mullenix seems to have taken the oath of protecting Baton Rogue of a heavier viral pressure.
Several institutions, including LSI, are denying any statement regarding the number of people who are suffering from COVID-19. According to all the news reports, 60-plus players of Division I have been infected. Apart from that, almost 100 players are in quarantine or isolation. We believe that the real numbers are much higher than these. Members of the medical departments of several institutions are in close communication with each other. There is a constant sharing of information from one side to another. In this context, Mullenix says that the state of LSU is not very different from that of the majority of other institutions.
The final scenario
The resuming sessions of workout on campus were accompanied by the fear of contraction and communication of the infection. Moreover, players are coming in contact with the virus when they are being a part of social gatherings. These places are not properly sanitized and therefore there is a constant risk of contamination. According to Mullenix, it is only natural to feel restless due to this long lockdown. So, the kids are unstoppable whenever they are getting a chance to go out. After all, we are all humans, and long to socialize. So, the best thing to do is to wear your mask properly while going out. Also, you should make sure that you are staying away from the crowd at all times. You just pick your order and get back to a safe zone.
Notably, the safety protocols at LSU are quite intense. For example, players enter the facility through one entrance, and the coaches avail of another one. There are proper infrared cameras to record body temperature of everyone before they attend lengthy sessions. If the tests are clear, the player will get a bracelet to mark him as safe. The same process goes on every day and it helps detect cases of infection.
