Pac-12 Modifies COVID-19 Policies, Shortens Isolation Window

The new testing, isolation and quarantine guidelines will go into effect on Friday.

The Pac-12 has announced it will be modifying its COVID-19 policies, the conference announced Thursday afternoon.

The changes will closer align to the new guidelines sent out by the Center For Disease Control on Monday, which other conferences have readily adopted over the past week. Among the major shifts include decreasing the number of required isolation days to five, as well as tiered testing and quarantine guidelines for vaccinated, boosted and unvaccinated individuals.

The new policies will go into effect on Friday, Dec. 31.

While it is unclear how these guidelines could have affected UCLA over the past month, its teams may have been able to play in some of the dozen contests that had to be called off as a result of COVID-19. UCLA men's basketball and UCLA women's basketball have each had six games postponed or canceled, UCLA football missed the Holiday Bowl versus NC State, UCLA gymnastics backed out of the Collegiate Challenge and UCLA men's volleyball dropped out of the UCSB Asics Invitational.

Since Dec. 11, UCLA has pulled its teams out of 16 different competitions. The only group of Bruins who will have competed between then and Jan. 6 is the swimming team, which went to the UNLV Invitational the weekend of Dec. 17.

Other than that, it's been a lot of waiting around for UCLA. With these new policies in place, perhaps any future issues will result in slightly less waiting, should outbreaks come into play again.

The full statement sent out from the Pac-12 can be seen below:

COVID-19 TESTING, ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE UPDATE

TESTING

Anyone with regular, close physical interaction with student-athletes, including student-athletes, coaches, support staff, team travel party (those traveling with the team or regularly having close physical interactions with the team while traveling) is considered “Tier 1” for purposes of this document. Tier 1 individuals are subject to the following testing requirements:

• Symptomatic: Anyone who exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 must be tested regardless of previous infection or vaccination status.

• Surveillance Testing: Unvaccinated individuals must receive surveillance testing a minimum of once per week by molecular PCR/NAAT test, or three (3) times per week antigen testing.

o Unvaccinated individuals must have a negative PCR/NAAT test within 72 hours prior to traveling to a competition. (The PCR/NAAT test prior to competition travel can apply to the minimum once weekly test requirement.)

o Officials and other operations staff who cannot distance from Tier 1 individuals in the course of their duties who are unvaccinated a minimum of one molecular PCR/NAAT test per week which must be within 72 hours prior to competition.

o Note: Fully vaccinated individuals are not required to receive surveillance testing.

• High-Risk Exposure: See Isolation and Quarantine section below.

• Sustained Increased Transmission: 3 or more positive cases or positive cases in 5% or more of a team cohort (whichever is greatest) within a two-week period may indicate a sustained increase in transmission. In the event of a sustained increase in transmission, testing all members of a team regardless of vaccination status should be considered depending on updated variant information and community spread. Daily monitoring of symptoms is also recommended. Contact tracing and the nature of the cases will determine the frequency of repeat testing and need for quarantine. “Team cohort” includes team players, team coaches, and team-specific staff. A single household is considered one case.

• Testing Exemption Period: An individual who tests positive with surveillance testing is not subject to further surveillance testing for 90 days from the positive test.

• Confirmatory Testing: Positive antigen tests are considered presumptive positives. If an athlete has a positive antigen test the athlete is to be isolated and a PCR/NAAT test used to confirm the diagnosis. If symptomatic with a positive antigen test, a PCR/NAAT test is not necessary to confirm the Antigen result.

• Types of Tests: Various types of testing are referenced in this document. Efficacy of various testing matrixes continues to evolve with emerging variants. The type of tests used should be clinically determined. Testing implies a COVID-19 test accurately identifies the prevalent variant of COVID-19.

For purposes of this document:

“Vaccinated” means people that are: (i) within six (6) months of completing the primary series (2 shots) of Pfizer or Moderna series, (ii) within two (2) months of completing the primary series of Johnson and Johnson.

“Boosted” means people who eligible to receive a booster—they are more than six (6) months past completing the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna two shot series (or beyond 2 months of completing the primary series of J&J)—and have received a booster.

“Unboosted" means people who are eligible to receive a booster and have not received a booster. This would be individuals who are 6-months post-Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series (2 shots) or 2 months post-Johnson & Johnson vaccine series (1 shot) who have not received a booster.

ISOLATION UPON INFECTION

Isolation for a Covid-19 infected individuals (vaccinated and unvaccinated):

• Asymptomatic:

o Asymptomatic individuals should isolate for 5 days following a positive test.

o After 5 days of isolation, asymptomatic individuals may exit isolation but should continue to wear a mask around others for an additional 5 days.

• Symptomatic:

o Symptomatic individuals must isolate until afebrile for 24 hours and symptoms have improved (but no less than 5 days).

o Upon resolution of fever for 24 hours and improvement of symptoms (and at least 5 days from symptom onset), previously symptomatic individuals may exit isolation but should continue to wear a mask until at least 10 days after initial symptoms.

• Testing:

Once a positive athlete meets the above criteria for release from isolation (prior to 10 days), they may be permitted to participate in athletic activities without a mask if they receive one (1) negative PCR/NAAT test or two (2) negative antigen tests 24 hours apart.

QUARANTINE UPON EXPOSURE

Quarantine for individuals with a known high-risk exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19:

• Vaccinated and boosted individuals do not need to quarantine but should wear a mask for 10 days. o Vaccinated and boosted individuals may be permitted to participate in athletic activities without a mask following a negative PCR/NAAT test or two (2) negative antigen tests 24 hours apart done no earlier than 3-5 days after exposure. For days 1-3 post-exposure, they may participate in athletic activities without a mask if they have a negative PCR/NAAT test result for each day of participation.

• Unboosted individuals may be permitted to participate in athletic activities with a mask for 10 days following exposure.

o Unboosted individuals may be permitted to participate in athletic activities without a mask beginning between days 3-5 and up to day 10 of the quarantine period if they have a negative PCR/NAAT test result for each day of participation.

• Unvaccinated individuals must quarantine for 5 days followed by 5 days of masking when around others.

o Unvaccinated individuals may be permitted to participate in athletic activities without a mask following a negative PCR/NAAT test or two (2) negative antigen tests 24 hours apart. Testing to be performed beginning 5 days after exposure.

• If any symptoms occur in any group, the symptomatic individual should isolate pending results of a COVID-19 test.

• Member institutions should follow contact tracing protocols per institution, federal, local and state guidelines. Note: The CDC defines close contact as within 6 feet for a cumulative total of 15 consecutive minutes or more in a 24-hour period.

The Pac-12 Covid-19 Medical Advisory Committee Health and Well Being Considerations are minimum recommendations. Each institution remains subject to the applicable restrictions, regulations, and laws; policies of the individual institution; and federal, local and state health departments. These may be stricter or add additional elements not contained in this document.

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