MHSAA Provides Reopening Update

EAST LANSING, Mich. – June 2 – The Michigan High School Athletic Association has updated its guidelines for reopening of school sports based on the lifting of her stay-at-home order and further recommendations from Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office announced Monday, June 1. Winter and Spring sports were halted April 3 to help decrease the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Following are points of likely interest from today’s update and a comment from MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl:

• Member schools may begin summer activities at school facilities as long as these two conditions are met: 1. School administration has announced schools facilities are open to students and staff, and 2. The academic school year (last day of online instruction/exams) has ended

• Indoor facilities, including gymnasiums and weight rooms, remain closed. This includes swimming pools, although outdoor pools may be used for athletic activities.

• Competition is not yet allowed because participants must continue to follow social distancing.

• Balls may be used among groups of participants, but participants should clean such common equipment as permitted and continue to maintain proper hygiene (washing hands, not touching their faces) and social distance.

• The most accurate answer to the question “What Step are schools on?” is Step 2 for outdoor activities – thanks to the ability to have gatherings of up to 100 participants – while indoor activities will start at Step 1 if gatherings of only 10 or fewer are allowed. Guidelines will continue to be updated based on directives from Governor Whitmer’s office.

• Today’s update in full can be found at https://www.mhsaa.com/Portals/0/Documents/AD%20Forms/MHSAA%20Summer%20Guidance%20Update%201.pdf

Comment from Mark Uyl: “We were excited and encouraged by Governor Whitmer’s announcements Monday. The opportunity for outside gatherings of up to 100 allowed us to rework a number of guidelines that we had published Friday as part of the MHSAA/NFHS reopening document. Our schools have been cautiously eager to take this long-awaited first step. We will continue to provide updates in accordance with the Governor’s directives for reopening the state, always prioritizing safety for all involved in school sports programs.”

Similar advisories will accompany future updates to the “MHSAA/NFHS Guidance for Re-Opening School Sports” with complete updates found on the MHSAA Website at https://www.mhsaa.com/coronavirus.