Officials in Orange County, Calif., last week were forced to defend a decision to abruptly halt all youth sports, including high school, despite the county having given clearance for sports to resume back on June 15.
Frank Kim, executive officer for Orange County, said at a press conference that the most recent decision to postpone youth sports was made due to new guidelines from the California Department of Public Health.
“When the state provides that guidance and authority to one particular county (to allow modified, socially-distanced youth sports),” Kim said, according to the Orange County Register, “many of us began opening that program that was consistent with the guidance some counties had received directly from the state.
“And the state recently had modified their guidance on that so we did the exact appropriate thing, which was we re-issued the press release and we had conversations with the Department of Education. … I see this being a completely open and transparent process.”
The Orange County Department of Education has since asked its schools to postpone all summer workouts based on clarification from the CDPH.
Despite high school athletic programs focusing on social distancing, wearing masks and taking temperature checks, they were advised that their modified workouts weren’t approved by the state.
“(The California Department of Public Health) again indicated that guidance specific to youth sports would be released in the future,” Jeffrey J. Riel, general counsel for the O.C. Department of Education, wrote to school superintendents. “Once statewide guidance is released, we will collectively work with the local public health officer to consider local community conditions when implementing the statewide guidance.”
