Horry Schools suspending football conditioning as COVID-19 cases continue increasing
Less than two weeks after allowing football teams to begin training, Horry County Schools is suspending athletic conditioning programs until further notice.
District spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier confirmed, via email, that all HCS athletic conditioning will be suspended as of 4 p.m. Thursday due to concerns about rapidly increasing coronavirus cases.
Bourcier noted that the district hasn’t received any reports of an athlete testing positive for COVID-19, but the decision was made in anticipation of the July 4 holiday weekend, which is expected to bring an influx of tourists into the area.
“We will continue to monitor conditions with the hope of resuming athletic conditioning soon,” she wrote.
Phase one of HCS’ return to fall sports began June 22 with football teams able to gather and work out in groups of 10 with conditioning and agility the main goal of the day. No shared equipment, including weights or balls, were allowed to be used.
Workouts required masks for coaches and non-participating players, frequently sanitized equipment, and social distancing of at least 6 feet between all coaches and players.
Horry County schools were among the last school districts to begin Phase I sports activities and join a growing list of districts that have suspended workouts, including Lexington-Richland District Five and Richland One in the Midlands and Newberry County. Florence School District One has already pushed back the start of the school year to Sept. 8 to create a better reopening plan in response to the virus.
Earlier this month, SCHSL Commissioner Jerome Singleton said he was confident in having a fall sports season.
“I hope that we pay attention to the safety measures that have been put in place by DHEC,” Singleton said on June 9. “And that we pay attention to the measures that are put in place to prevent the spread of the virus even more. If we do those types of things, and we can make it from one phase to the next, I feel confident that we can have a fall sports season.”
Having a fall season may still be a possibility, though it may not occur during the traditional times, as Week 0 of the high school football season is slated to begin on Aug. 21.
Horry County Schools is expected to release parameters for returning to practice following the July 4th holiday. In its initial Phase I release, the district stated that “other fall sports” would begin conditioning workouts on July 6.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 12:14 PM.
