4 KC-area HS football teams placed in quarantine after games

Only one week into the 2020 high school football season, there are four Kansas City-area teams who were placed in quarantine due to possible exposure to COVID-19 on the gridiron.

The Excelsior Springs, Lathrop, Richmond and Savannah varsity football teams were informed of possible exposure after their matchups last Friday, causing frustration for everyone involved.

ANY EXPERTS DEEMEDAPPROPRIATE."AFTER JUST ONE WEEKSOME SCHOOLS ARESEEING HOW QUICKLYCOVID-19 CAN IMPACTSTUDENT ATHLETES.BUT AS SPORTSREPORTER AARON LADDEXPLAINS -- SCHOOLLEADERS AND HEALTHOFFICIALS ARE TEAMINGUP TO TACKLE THEPROBLEM.AFTER ONE WEEK OF THEHIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALLSEASON, EXCELSIORSPRINGS IS UNDEFEATED.BUT THE REST OF THESEASON MAY BE INJEOPARDY AFTER APOSSIBLE EXPOSURE TOCOVID-19.JAYNE WHITE / REGISTEREDNURSE, ANDREW CO.

PUBLICHEALTH"If you don't end up with somesort of quarantine in a sportssituation, you're darn lucky."FRUSTRATION ALLAROUND, AFTER FOUR KCAREA HIGH SCHOOLFOOTBALL TEAMS ARETOLD TO QUARANTINE DUETO POSSIBLE EXPOSUREUNDER THE FRIDAY NIGHTLIGHTS.SCHOOL DISTRICTS SAYINGTUESDAY, IT'S THE REALITYOF OUR NEW NORMAL.DR. JARET TOMLINSON / DEPUTYSUPERINTENDENT, ESSD"Everybody wants to haveeverything be normal.

Buteveryone also wants everyoneto be safe.

And you can't haveboth of those all the time."AFTER CONFIRMATION OFA POSITIVE TEST MONDAY--- OFFICIALS WITHANDREW and CLAY COUNTYHEALTH DEPARTMENTSINVESTIGATING JUST HOWMANY PLAYERS HAVE BEENEXPOSED.

AND JUSTHOW LONG SOME WILL BESIDELINED.JAYNE WHITE / REGISTEREDNURSE, ANDREW CO.

PUBLICHEALTH"[If] they just play defensiveline, then maybe it's just theother team's offensive linethat's affected, but on thehome team or on your ownteam.Where did that kid goafter the plays?

Who stood onthe sidelines?

Where did theystand?"ANDREW HOFFMAN /ADMINISTRATOR, ANDREW CO.PUBLIC HEALTH"The contact tracing process,while it may take an athlete ora student out of the school orout of the game for a shortperiod of time, the end goal inthat contact tracing is to stopthe spread."SCHOOLS WORKING AS ATEAM ON, AND OFF THEFIELD TO RETURN SAFELY.DR. JARET TOMLINSON / DEPUTYSUPERINTENDENT, ESSD"We're going to do everythingwe can to provide a safe andhealthy learning experience forstudents.

And as long as wecan do that, we're going tokeep pushing ahead."REPORTING IN CLAYCOUNTY TONIGHT, AARONLADD, 41 ACTION NEWS