It was known it likely would happen at some point, and Bill Moos thought Husker athletics proved prepared for when it did.
A Husker player did test positive for COVID-19, Nebraska's athletic director confirmed during an interview with Husker247 on Friday, and was moved to isolation.
"We have had a positive that I know of, only one so far," Moos said. "We followed the protocol on the testing to determine that it was a positive test, and then the protocol continued as to isolation and addressing it. We don't want any positive tests, but we have now gone through the actual positive test in how we addressed it, and it worked very, very well. And if we have another positive test, we know that our protocol works and will be followed again."
Moos said earlier this week the Huskers have a strict protocol for their athletes that has even been copied by peer institutions in the conference. When student-athletes arrive, they are quarantined for two days, and then tested, with a helping hand from UNMC.
As for handling a positive test?
"Anyone who was involved with that student – that would be those who conducted the test, the trainers, a football operations person, for example, they are quarantined and tested after 48 hours," Moos said. "The individual who did test positive goes into an isolation period while going through the rest of the protocol before they can return to voluntary activities."
Moos has said that about 150 to 175 student-athletes were already on campus, with more arrivals coming with voluntary workouts being opened back up in small groups beginning June 1.
For new arrivals, some will be in dorms in the beginning for summer sessions, "but we're in the process of hopefully getting a waiver to allow freshmen to live off campus, and I'm very optimistic that we will get that," Moos said. "We're talking about less than 20 in football, and maybe 25 and a couple more for all the fall sports. So I'm optimistic that we'll get some relief there."
According to Moos, "a good many of (the newcomers) have already been here, and have been tested, and they're ready to come in on Monday to start voluntary workouts. And we have continued through this week, and on to next, on more waves of primarily football players," but also volleyball, men's and women's basketball, and soccer.
Nobody is required to work out, and have to be in groups of 10 or less, and that includes those trainers in the room.
Moos has reiterated to his team in the athletic department the same thing he said from the very beginning of the COVID-19 concerns: The playbook has changed, and it's an opponent you don't know a whole lot about, nor how long you will be competing with it.
