Merced County cases dashboard behind on updates. New youth sports guidelines released
Merced County’s online statistics dashboard, which tracks coronavirus cases and deaths locally, has not been updated since Friday.
Merced County spokesperson Mike North stated in an email the dashboard hasn’t been updated due to the current surge in COVID-19 cases and changes in how the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) processes data.
The gap in reporting data comes as coronavirus cases are surging statewide, even as the first shipments of vaccines trickle into the Valley and California.
On Friday, the last time Merced County updated its dashboard, its Department of Public Health reported 14,483 laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases and 207 total deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the state’s COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday showed 188 new cases and 14,572 total confirmed cases for Merced County, with deaths at 207 since the pandemic began.
According to state data, as of Monday there were 10 available ICU beds in Merced County. There are currently 41 Merced County residents hospitalized with COVID-19, eight of whom are in ICU beds.
In the past, however, there have been discrepancies between the Merced County’s dashboard and the state’s numbers.
New youth sports guidelines released
The California State Department of Public Health finally released its long await guidelines for youth sports on Monday night.
The news is good — and bad — for high school sports.
The good news? No sports have had their season canceled at this point. But bad news is it may still be a long wait before any high school sports are played.
No high school sports will start before Jan. 25 according to the updated youth sports guidelines posted to the state’s Department of Public Health website Monday night.
“The state not saying we’re not having a season is a good thing,” said Merced High football coach Rob Scheidt. “I just feel bad for the kids. A lot of them did a good job this fall coming out to every practice and doing everything they could in hopes of playing. If our seniors don’t get the opportunity to play it’s going to be sad.”
Colored tiers will determine when sports can begin
It’s going to be a challenge for some sports to have a season.
The California Interscholastic Federation’s original plan was for fall sports like football and volleyball to start practicing this month, with games beginning in January.
For those sports to play under the new guidelines, counties would have to to get into a favorable level of the state’s color-tiered system for COVID-19 that tracks rates of positive tests.
Most of the counties in the state, including Merced and the surrounding counties, are currently in the most restrictive purple tier.
Football and volleyball would not be able to start practices or games until their counties clear the most restrictive purple and red tiers and drop down into the moderate orange tier.
The Merced Union High School District announced on Monday it was returning all students to distance learning on Wednesday, Dec. 16 after consulting the Merced County Department of Public Health.
Can Merced County make the jump to the orange tier in time to salvage a football or volleyball season?
“Is that the nail in the coffin? Maybe,” said Scheidt. “It’s hard for me to predict what it means for us right now. We’re still in wait-and-see mode.”
Outdoor prep sports that allow for social distancing, like cross country, track and field and golf, can start in the coming months even if counties are in the most restrictive purple tier.
Outdoor moderate sports like baseball and softball can begin while the county is in the red tier, according to the state guidelines.
“It’s good news in that it eliminates one of the three unknowns,” said Livingston Hi athletic director Scott Winton. “The second unknown is we’re still waiting for the CIF and Sac-Joaquin Section’s reaction to his document.”
Travel restrictions
Under the state’s guidelines, there are travel restrictions that limit schools to playing only other schools in the same county or bordering counties.
“Under this document it’s hard to see a path forward where a school can play other schools in a county that they are not physically connected to,” Winton said. “Existing leagues like the (Trans-Valley League), (Southern League) and (Western Athletic League) don’t have a path forward.”
Winton said the third unknown is what Merced County’s COVID-19 numbers look like next month or going forward. “Our COVID-color tier equals what sports we can plan,” Winton said.
Basketball, which is considered high risk because it’s a contact sport played indoors, will not be able to be played until the county is in the minimal yellow tier, according to the state guidelines.
“The number one question we’ve received is ‘what must we be able to do to play?’” said Sac-Joaquin Assistant Commissioner Will DeBoard. “We didn’t really have an answer. Now we have a pathway to play sports. I’ll be honest, for some sports it’s a difficult path.”
The travel restrictions could force schools to change their schedules in an attempt to get as many games played as possible.
Some athletic directors are suggesting changing the CIF sports calendar to allow the sports that can be played while counties are in the purple tier to be scheduled earlier and move back the sports that need to be played in the orange and yellow tiers later in the school year.
The original CIF calendar grouped sports by their traditional seasons like volleyball and football starting together in the fall. Some people are suggesting tearing up that original sports calendar and allowing the sports like golf, tennis and cross country — that are allowed to compete while counties are in the purple tier according to the state guidelines — to start first in January.
DeBoard said the 10 CIF section commissioners will reevaluate that Jan. 25 start date on Jan. 4. He said adjustments may have to be made based off the travel restrictions and the COVID-19 numbers for each county.
“It may result in shifting leagues, but more likely we’ll suggest our schools play whoever you can play. Our current playoff structure can’t happen under the current travel restrictions.”
According to DeBoard, without knowing what counties will be in what COVID-colored tiers, it’s hard to formulate a plan.
