Powerhouse college football programs such as at the University of Michigan and Ohio State University will resume this season after their governing body, the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors, reversed course Wednesday.
The Big Ten Conference said its fall football season will resume October 23 under a new set of health safety screenings for athletes, coaches and trainers.
Under the screenings plan, anyone participating in games or practice must be tested on-site for COVID-19, and the test results must be completed before stepping onto the field. Any student-athlete that tests positive cannot return to Big Ten athletics for at least 21 days.
The health procedures in place are groundbreaking and designed to protect students, said Dr. Jim Borchers of Ohio State, who helped create the protocols. Testing will begin September 30.
Borchers said testing data will be shared among all 14 Big Ten schools “as they study COVID-19 and attempt to mitigate the spread of the disease among wider communities.
This is a developing story.