Sacramento Standard

Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee) lauded the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) decision to allow organized youth and adult sports in select counties.

Jones had earlier signed on to co-author “Let Them Play,” an Assembly concurrent resolution calling for the resumption of youth sports programs in California.

“Finally! After months of advocating, @CAPublicHealth has updated its guidelines to get our kids off the bench and back in the game,” Jones posted on Twitter. Congratulations to all the athletes, parents, coaches, and colleagues for your extraordinary efforts!”

The decision was stated in the updated “Guidance for Youth and Recreational Adult Sports.”

”Outdoor high-contact sports can be played in counties in the Purple or Red tier with a case rate at or below 14 per 100,000,“ the CDPH published on its website ”Weekly testing will be required for football, rugby and water polo participants age 13 and over in counties with a case rate between 7 and 14 per 100,000. Weekly testing, either antigen or PCR, is required for all participants and coaches in these sports, with results made available within 24 hours of competition. Football, rugby and water polo are high-contact sports that are likely to be played unmasked, with close, face-to-face contact exceeding 15 minutes.”

“Outdoor moderate-contact sports can be played in these counties without the testing requirement,” it added.