More than 20 people who attended a two-day side wrestling tournament in Louisiana have reported having tested positive for coronavirus, according to local health officials.
The outburst between athletes, staff and members of the public comes after about 400 wrestlers participated in the 48th Louisiana Classic Wrestling Event last week at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, The Advocate reported.
The Louisiana Department of Health is now asking all attendees to get tested and self-quarantine, but it doesn’t stop some schools from moving forward with other athletic events.
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association said precautions are being called for in schools, but said several fighting games will continue as planned, the lawyer said.
“Obviously, this is extremely complicated,” Adam MacDowell, the association’s executive deputy director, told the newspaper. “As soon as I receive documents from the (Louisiana Department of Health), I will send them to our member schools for further guidance.”
“What we advise at this time, without having additional communication with the LDH, is for each school and school program to contact their local regional health director and go through the protocols if they participated in this tournament,” he said. MacDowell.
“I know there are several tournaments and matches that have been canceled,” he said. “But I also know some are still at stake.”
Images and videos of the Louisiana Classic show that no social distancing was being observed, and while some spectators wore masks, many did not.