ST. LOUIS COUNTY (KMOV.com) – St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page is rolling back youth sports guidelines.

During his Wednesday morning briefing, Page announced the rolled back guidelines will allow competitions in high-contact sports for kids younger than 14, including those in middle school. No tournaments performances or showcases will be permitted.

High school students and those 14 years or older will still be restricted from competitive play in high-contact sports, such as football and ice hockey.

Elizabeth Schweppe has a 14-year old son who attends Westminister Christian Academy and plays on two hockey teams. She doesn’t think the rollback on restrictions goes far enough.

“Right now based on Sam Page’s restrictions he can play his club hockey team, 14-U, but he cannot play on the same sport for high school,” she said.

The guidelines will also allow kids over the age of 14 to play competitively in moderate-contact sports like soccer, volleyball and baseball.

“High contact sports have a greater likelihood of transmission based on how close they are and how frequently they are close. That’s why the health department and our experts and our advisors have recommended different restrictions based on the type of sport we’ve divided them into three categories based on the risk of transmission,” Page said.

Some parents who spoke to News 4 said the rollback on restrictions should cover all sports.

“Today was thrilling news for my son and our family because we have a soccer player. But this is definitely not a win for everybody,” said Kara Reynolds, whose son is a freshman at Kirkwood High School.

The new guidelines will also allow for two fans per athlete to attend outside sports. No spectators will be allowed for indoor sports.  

Marla Falstenau said she was glad that her daughter, who’s a volleyball player at Lafayette High School, will be able to start playing games in her own gym but she doesn’t agree with the restrictions on spectators.

“So that’s still a frustration that a lot of us have and will continue to work on so that we’re not all having to watch our daughters senior year on Zoom,” said Fastenau.

Page said he released the new guidelines after seeing a decrease in the positivity rate for those age groups. If the downward trend continues, Page said he’s hopefully the lift the final restrictions in the coming weeks.

The new guidelines will go into effect Monday, Sept. 28.

Page has maintained that the restrictions were put in place to protect the student-athletes. Last week, he said the county had identified evidence of COVID-19 transmission among athletes that was linked to practices or games.

Also, during his briefing Wednesday, Page said he is recommending middle school students to return to the classroom, but said it is not a mandate and those who want to continue working virtually can do so.

Copyright 2020 KMOV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved