Michigan football cleared to play Minnesota despite stay-in-place order
Undergraduate students at the University of Michigan are being asked to stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19, but that won't affect the Michigan Wolverines football team as it prepares to open its season with a road game against Big Ten foes the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Per ESPN's Tom VanHaaren and Aaron McMann of MLive, the order issued by the Washtenaw County Health Department that runs through the morning of Nov. 3 does not apply to official school athletics programs as long as athletic medical staff is present and that staff "actively supervises the team's COVID-19 mitigation activities during the practice, has the authority to suspend the practice if he or she believes COVID-19 mitigation practices require that result, and testing is conducted per governing athletic organizations' (i.e. Big 10) policies."
As of Tuesday afternoon, Michigan was still conducting its midweek assuming that Saturday's game against Minnesota remains on:
On Monday, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters that none of his players are currently sidelined because of a coronavirus infection or exposure to the virus. Since the start of the fall semester, Michigan has confirmed over 1,000 COVID-19 cases among students.
Per Big Ten protocols, a player who tests positive must isolate for 10 days and miss a minimum of 21 days of football-related activities.
Purdue Boilermakers head coach Jeff Brohm confirmed on Monday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss Saturday's season opener against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
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