LANSING, MI (WTVB) – While the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that Michigan restaurants and bars could resume in person dining on a limited basis starting on February 1, the ban on contact sports for youth and high school winter teams was extended for another three weeks until February 21.
It’s devastating news for high school basketball, wrestling, hockey and competitive cheer teams in the State of Michigan who have been holding non-contact practices since last Saturday.
The previous emergency order was set to expire at the end of January and would’ve allowed those sports to begin contact activities February 1.
It’s also been a source of frustration for anyone associated with Branch County high school sports since just a few miles away in Indiana and Ohio, winter high school sports have been conducted this season with COVID-19 protocols in place.
Michigan High School Athletic Association Executive Director Mark Uyl said in a statement, “We found out about this decision at 9:30 a.m. like everyone else, and we will address it as quickly as possible after taking the weekend to collect more information. We did not anticipate this delay in winter contact practices and competition, and today’s announcement has created many new questions. Obviously, this is disappointing to thousands of athletes who have been training with their teams over the last week and watching teams in other states around Michigan play for the last two months.”
The winter sports of Bowling, Swimming and Girls Gymnastics are considered non-contact.
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