COVID-19 Virus Testing
Systematic testing may help with early identification of infected individuals, providing for earlier intervention and mitigation of risk of an outbreak. The required testing, at this time, for SARS-CoV-2 virus outlined in this document must use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. The Conference will coordinate centralized testing for the surveillance and pre-competition purposes noted below, and will be used in conjunction with institutional testing protocols to help prevent further spread of the virus.
1. Baseline: Testing prior to accessing athletic facilities upon initial arrival to campus is required.
2. Surveillance: Required testing frequency is based upon the level of contact risk within the sport, and is required for student-athletes (see Table 1), as well as any countable coaches and support staff member that is in regular, in-person close contact with student-athletes, as determined by the institution.
a. For sports with high contact risk, minimum weekly PCR surveillance is required during inseason practice periods and twice-weekly testing is required during competition periods.
b. For sports with intermediate contact risk and low contact risk, minimum weekly PCR surveillance is required during in-season and competition periods.
c. NOTE: Repeat surveillance testing of someone who previously tested positive for the virus is not necessary for three months following the infection unless they develop symptoms of COVID-19 and no other source of infection is identified.
d. Additional weekly testing requirements and alternative testing methods will be implemented and administered by the Conference or institutions as sufficient data to support use develops
3. Pre-Competition: Testing for student-athletes, coaches and staff is required within three (3) days of competition for sports with one game in a week (testing at a reasonable time Wednesday evening for a Saturday football game, for example) and within three (3) days of the first of the week’s competition for other high-risk sports with multiple competitions in a week. This counts towards one of the required weekly surveillance tests.
a. Game officials for sports where six (6) feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained must also be tested weekly.
b. Results of testing must be shared amongst the competing schools prior to game time.
c. Post-Competition – Per the Big Ten COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Bulletin, for confirmed cases that arise after competition is completed, information is required to be shared with the previous week’s opponent, if applicable, to facilitate contact tracing at the opponent’s institution.
4. Out-of-Season: Decisions based on who and when to test can be left to the discretion of each institution. Out-of-season is defined as the timeframe outside of the NCAA playing and practice season for each sport.
5. Clinical: In addition to routine surveillance and pre-competition testing, if student-athletes or staff develop COVID-19 symptoms at any point, a clinical evaluation is required, which may include COVID-19 testing. If the individual was infected with COVID-19 within the last three months, testing for the virus should still be conducted if no other source of infection has been identified. If a student-athlete or staff becomes symptomatic between testing and competition, they should be isolated until repeat results are available.