UM Athletes Ask MDHHS to Reconsider Two-Week Shutdown
A group of athletes at the University of Michigan is hoping to convince the MDHHS to reconsider the shutdown.
On Saturday, the University of Michigan announced that all athletic practices and games were paused for a two-week shutdown. The athletic shutdown was put into place after several positive cases of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 were discovered. This new variant transmits about 50% easier than other strains according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
On Monday, a "coalition of student-athletes" released a statement pleading with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider the shutdown and required quarantine. Myles Amine, a Michigan wrestler, posted the statement to Twitter with #LetUsCompete.
Based on the department's testing policies, placing healthy students in quarantine is unnecessary and excessive. Placing the entirety of student-athletes in a mandated quarantine, instead of working it on a team by team basis, is unfair to the athletes who have followed all protocols necessary to compete and have had no contact with the confirmed cases...the Coalition of Student-Athletes statement read...The student-athletes at the University of Michigan stand united in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping every member of our community safe. We are asking the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider the blanket shutdown implemented on January 24th, and allow all the student-athletes that are healthy to return to all athletic-related activities.
What are your thoughts? Personally, I agree with these student-athletes. They have been working really hard to follow the rules and I don't think they should be punished when they have nothing to do with those in question.
Source: MLive