Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
For NFL, Keeping Teams Safe From COVID Is Hard To Tackle
AP: Virus-Proofing NFL Facilities Is A Tall, Masked Task
“There are so many steps along the way. You’ve got to fill out your questionnaire on our app when you wake up in the morning,” Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph said. “Then when you come in, you sanitize your hands, do your temperature check, get your COVID tests, put on your lanyard, grab your tracker. So there’s just a lot of things that have now been added to your routine.” (Campbell, 8/13)
The Washington Post: Washington’s NFL Team To Play Home Games Without Fans This Season
NFL games at FedEx Field this season will be played without fans in the stands, the Washington Football Team announced Wednesday morning. Throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic, the team had been hoping to have some fans at its home games this fall, but after working with Maryland and Prince George's County officials to come up with a health and safety plan for the team’s games at the stadium, a decision was made to play in an empty stadium “out of an abundance of caution,” the team said in a statement. (Carpenter, 8/12)
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Los Angeles Times: Bubbles? May Madness? A Delayed College Basketball Season Could Require Both
One day after learning that his season would be pushed back at least two months because of the relentless novel coronavirus pandemic, UCLA coach Mick Cronin suggested that the limited use of a bubble environment similar to the one that has protected NBA players could help Pac-12 Conference teams safely compete. Cronin proposed the possibility of using a bubble in Las Vegas for challenge games between conferences, the Pac-12 tournament or the NCAA tournament, noting that it was feasible because players were completing virtually all of their schoolwork online and wouldn’t have to be yanked out of classes. (Bolch and Kartje, 8/12)
The New York Times: ‘Fat Talks,’ An Investigation, And A Reckoning: How Collegiate Runners Forced Reform
In early March, 36 Wesleyan University track and cross-country alumni signed a letter describing a culture of rampant body shaming and eating disorders within the program that they said a prominent coach had fostered. In pleading for major changes, the athletes said the coach, John Crooke, had held “fat talks” with runners, telling them to lose weight to run faster. He told them to keep food diaries and check in with him to review their logs, they said in interviews. Athletes were told to not discuss those meetings with other runners. (Minsberg, 8/12)
