All 11 UConn women’s basketball players test negative for COVID-19 in return to campus

All 11 UConn women’s basketball players had their first COVID test come back negative and passed their physicals, the school announced on Sunday. As part of the team’s re-entry program, all players are now in a “modified” quarantine and can participate in volunteer activities.

For now, that means players can do on-court and strength and conditioning work in small groups without supervision from the coaching staff, though the strength and conditioning staff is allowed to hold voluntary workouts.

If everything stays on track, the coaching staff can begin to work with the players on Tuesday. These activities are limited to eight hours a week — four of which can be skill instruction. Coaches aren’t required to give any days off.

In order to keep both the players and coaching staff safe and healthy, certain safety measures have been added. Before being allowed into facilities (ie. Werth Champions Center), players and staff must have their temperature checked and self-screen for symptoms. Once inside, everyone will be expected to follow the necessary guidelines such as social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing.

All campus facilities — Werth included — will undergo “rigorous cleaning and sanitization” with areas such as locker rooms, strength and conditioning areas and training rooms cleaned daily.

If someone tests positive for the coronavirus, they will enter into an isolation protocol.

The women’s basketball team is the third to return to campus after the football and men’s basketball teams. In July, UConn announced that all 150 tests administered to athletes came back negative. To this point, not a single athlete on the campus has tested positive for COVID-19.