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Chip Kelly outlines football’s COVID-19 testing protocol ahead of training camp

UCLA football coach Chip Kelly overcame COVID-19 in the spring and will now look to lead the Bruins in the upcoming shortened season. (Amy Dixon/Daily Bruin senior staff)

By Jared Tay

Oct. 7, 2020 4:39 p.m.

When the coronavirus put an effective pause on the sporting world back in March, coach Chip Kelly said in April he didn’t see why it would be safe for players to return to the field if fans weren’t also allowed in the stadium. 

But with UCLA football set to hold its first training camp Friday and the Bruins’ season-opener against Colorado set on Nov. 7, the third-year coach said a lot has changed since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“I think we all have concerns,” Kelly told the media in a Pac-12 web conference Wednesday afternoon. “The one game changer since then has been the daily testing, but (COVID-19) is still something we need to be very cautious of.” 

Daily testing wasn’t available to his team in August when the Pac-12 initially canceled its college football season, but Kelly’s players – many of whom have already returned to campus and are participating in small group workouts – now receive polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, coronavirus tests three times a week. 

Beginning this week, Kelly said the Bruins will also have access to daily rapid tests that look for the presence of viral antigens that would indicate infection. Players will submit to both PCR and antigen testing at the beginning of the season. 

In total, UCLA football players could be tested up to 10 times a week once training camp begins. However, the university has also received criticism for charging non-student-athletes without the UC Student Health Insurance Plan between $65 and $105 for coronavirus tests.

Despite the program’s plan for frequent and robust testing, Kelly said the team still must take precautions to guard against the virus.

On the professional level, the NFL has implemented a similar protocol, with players undergoing frequent tests to prevent outbreaks across the league’s locker rooms. Yet as of Wednesday, multiple players have tested positive on the New England Patriots, while the Tennessee Titans are struggling to contain a growing outbreak in their facilities that has reached 20-plus cases. 

Pointing to the growing number of cases in the NFL, Kelly said the Bruins’ season isn’t being treated as a given, and his players understand the dangers of failing to socially distance and wear a mask.

“Our players (understand) what they have to do from a social distancing standpoint – wearing their mask and washing their hands – when they aren’t in our building,Kelly said. “(They’re) understanding that they have something to lose because if they do test positive, they have to go into quarantine.” 

In spring, Kelly and his wife tested positive for the virus, and he said his experience reminds him to remain vigilant at all times. Though he experienced mild to no symptoms, Kelly said he still doesn’t know how he contracted the virus to begin with. 

“I’ve learned you can get it at any time, even when you are being extremely diligent,” Kelly said. “You hear about all these super-spreader events and non-socially distanced parties – you don’t have to get it that way.”

Starting Friday, the Bruins are expected to begin their training camp and were cleared by the California Department of Public Health to resume full 11-on-11 practices Oct. 1. Only one Bruin – redshirt sophomore defensive back Kenny Churchwell III – has chosen to opt-out of the 2020 season because of safety concerns.

In August, the NCAA announced all student-athletes must be allowed to opt-out, and their scholarship obligations must still be fulfilled by their respective universities. 

“I’m very empathetic to anybody when it comes to COVID-19, because I’ve had it and my wife’s had it,” Kelly said. “We’ve also had players on our team that have lost family members, so when someone says they’re concerned about their safety, we fully support them.”

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Jared Tay | Sports senior staff
Tay is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the men's basketball beat. He was previously an assistant Sports editor for the baseball, men's soccer, men's tennis, cross country and women's tennis beats. Tay was previously a contributor on the men's tennis beat.
Tay is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the men's basketball beat. He was previously an assistant Sports editor for the baseball, men's soccer, men's tennis, cross country and women's tennis beats. Tay was previously a contributor on the men's tennis beat.
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