Penn State running back Journey Brown (4) celebrates his third quarter touchdown run against Rutgers during an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. Penn State defeated Rutgers 27-6. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
No Penn State athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 — so far
While the university switched to online learning for the summer, athletes have been returning to the campus for training.
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Anne Danahy
Penn State running back Journey Brown (4) celebrates his third quarter touchdown run against Rutgers during an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. Penn State defeated Rutgers 27-6. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
(State College) — Penn State Athletics Director Sandy Barbour said during a news conference Wednesday that no student athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 so far out of 102 tested.
Barbour said Athletics will report its results publicly every two weeks. She said that will happen at least until students return for the fall semester, and then will be reevaluated.
The university has said it will make its overall testing results data public.
While the university switched to online learning for the summer, athletes have been returning to the campus for training.
The 102 who have been tested does not include volleyball or soccer players who just were tested.
Penn State’s Lamar Stevens (11) scores on Minnesota’s Alihan Demir (30) in late second-half action of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Gary M. Baranec)
As to whether students will be able to play football and other sports, Barbour said the university will only compete if it’s the right thing to do.
“When the time comes, if it’s healthy and safe to do it, we’ll obviously do it, and if it’s not, we won’t,” Barbour said.
Barbour said the protocol for summer is that student-athletes will be tested on arrival at Penn State, on returning if they leave and if they become symptomatic. She says athletes are being discouraged from leaving campus after arriving.
Barbour said Penn State had a 94% to 95% renewal rate for football tickets, along with selling another 3,000 season tickets, but she doesn’t expect to have a full house at Beaver Stadium.
“I don’t think that’s in the cards for us this season,” she said. “The different scenarios we’re looking at would be to try to accommodate as many of our season ticket holders as we possibly can.”
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