The message below was distributed to all student-athletes on August 26, 2021. It details all COVID-19 policies for those students participating in intercollegiate athletics during the Fall 2021 semester.
Dear Student-Athletes,
As many of you are aware, the delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States, particularly among people who remain unvaccinated. At this time, the Division of Athletics strongly encourages all student-athletes to get vaccinated for COVID-19 if they are able. An individual is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving their second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or 14 days after receiving the single-dose vaccine by Johnson & Johnson.
COVID-19 vaccination remains the most effective means to slow the spread of the virus and control the pandemic. We acknowledge that while overall COVID-19 deaths and cases have declined, infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths have spiked during the past month with the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. The NCAA, through their COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, released an updated resource guide for member institutions to use in coordination with government and related institutional policies and guidelines. As stated in their overview, “unvaccinated people and individuals with certain medical conditions remain at substantial risk for infection, severe illness and death, especially in areas where the level of community transmission is high.” Despite the widespread availability of the vaccine, the current rates are not high enough to provide community-level immunity, and they vary state by state and county by county.
With the COVID-19 landscape continuing to evolve, our Division of Athletics will continue to monitor community-level immunity status, community-level transmission, state law and guidance provided by local public health authorities as we develop prevention and management protocols specific to student-athletes.
The Daemen College Division of Athletics, as of 8/16/2021, report that more than 95% of the overall student-athlete population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This is excellent news. However, due to continued growth of delta variant hot spots and the lack of uniformity to COVID-19 policies on college campuses throughout the country, travel of unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated student-athletes will be restricted.
I am sure we can all agree that, at some level, last year was a very difficult one. Our student-athletes endured season delays and cancellations, travel restrictions, quarantines, regular PCR and antigen testing, limited competitions and the inability to invite fans to watch us Wildcats in action. Our diligence last year enabled our campus positivity rate to remain under one-half of one percent. Our continued vigilance will afford us more opportunities to provide a regular Division II intercollegiate athletic experience for our student-athletes.
Below are the preliminary steps we are taking as we prepare for student-athletes to return to practice and competitions.
Campus Clearance Requirement: Student-athletes are required to submit proof that they are either fully vaccinated, have tested positive for COVID-19 within 3 months or complete a COVID-19 virus test before they are cleared to be on campus for the semester.
The Division of Athletics will be following the NCAA recommendations and requiring testing of any unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated student-athletes and staff prior to participation, unless proof of a COVID-positive infection has occurred within the previous 90-days is provided.
For international arrivals, there may be additional requirements based on Daemen College and CHIP Center policies depending on mode of travel and location (see below). This applies to off-campus and on-campus residents. On-campus residents will be required to follow any additional Residence Life policies.
COVID-19 Vaccine:
Fully vaccinated: Student-athletes who are fully vaccinated are permitted to participate in team meetings, team gatherings, practices and home scrimmages/competitions. Fully vaccinated student-athletes will be permitted to travel with their sport program to away-from-home contests.
Not fully vaccinated: Student-athletes who are not fully vaccinated will be permitted to participate with their sport program in team meetings, team gatherings, and home scrimmages/competitions. At this time, not fully vaccinated student-athletes will not be permitted to travel to away-from-home scrimmages/competitions.
Face Coverings: The CDC released guidance on August 2, 2021 recommending that any county with “substantial” spreading utilize masks when in public, indoor spaces. At this time, Erie County (where Daemen is located) is designated as such an area. Daemen is a private place of business and is not re-mandating masks across campus at this time; however, we are continuing to be diligent and taking the following actions in the Division of Athletics:
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Fully vaccinated student-athletes may be required to wear a mask during team meetings, team gatherings and/or during team travel. However, fully vaccinated student-athletes will not be required to wear a mask during practice or competitions.
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Note: Face masks and coverings that cover the mouth and nose will be required in all classroom, labs, athletic spectator events, indoor locations with high density or traffic, and Daemen travel activities (i.e. taking vans to service learning or athletic events) regardless of COVID-19 vaccine status.
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Not fully or unvaccinated student-athletes are required to wear masks while indoors, in team meetings, team gatherings, van team travel, when on the sideline during practice or competitions and during individual practice events when social distancing cannot be observed.
International Student-Athletes: In accordance with the CDC, international travelers are required to get tested no more than 3 days before they travel by air into the United States. Anyone traveling internationally needs to report their travel to the CHIP Center (chip@daemen.edu). Please refer to the full Daemen College policy regarding international travel - Section V, Sub-Section B.
Fully Vaccinated: Individuals who travel outside of the United States who are fully vaccinated by their departure date are required to be tested for COVID-19, 3-5 days (day 4 is preferred) after international travel. There is no requirement to quarantine after arriving in the United States (pending the individual is asymptomatic).
Not Fully Vaccinated (Updated July 19, 2021): In accordance with the CDC, individuals who travel outside of the United States who are NOT fully vaccinated by their departure date are required to quarantine for 10 full days following their arrival to the United States. Additionally, student-athletes following the NCAA guidance on testing unvaccinated student-athletes and individuals who fit this criteria will be tested on day 4 and again on their 6th day of quarantine, as a precaution.
For overall Daemen College Covid-19 Policies please refer to https://www.daemen.edu/about/campus/campus-safety/emergency-management-plan/daemen-preparedness/covid-19-dashboard
We will monitor what is happening locally in our community as well as the locations where our teams will travel. These policies are subject to change to ensure the safest experience possible based on federal, state, local public health policy as well as abide by all NCAA, East Coast Conference or Daemen College requirements.
Traci Murphy
Director of Athletics
