LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) – As school districts look into the safest way on moving forward with sports, our local health experts weigh in on the big move before the big games.

When you are talking about sports in the time of a pandemic, the Laredo Health Authority Doctor Victor Trevino says there is always some level of risk.

“Some of the categories are lowest risk, increased risk, more risk, high risk, highest risk. Now, contact sports are categorized in the highest risk.”

Dr. Trevino says contact sports like football and basketball are considered high risk. 

He says he has advised local public and private schools not to move forward with allowing students to partake in high risk activities.

However, if school districts insist on starting the season Trevino suggests they need to take preventative measures.

“If football is going to take affect then certain mitigation efforts should be done. Number one should be to test all the participants, testing all the athletes. Testing will be very important. This way you know who has a positive test and who doesn’t. My second recommendation is that they wait until the infection metrics are lowered. These are two things that are very important.”

Trevino believes exposure to the virus can be contained when dealing with low risk sports, like soccer and tennis.

His current worry is the chain reaction that comes with high contact sports.

School districts can decide whether or not to implement Trevino’s suggestions.

“If they do you proceed without following any of the recommendations, the athletes could potentially bring the infection into the classroom, then spreading it to all the students, and eventually into the community. That would overflow our hospitals.”

Trevino says the risk of COVID-19 spreading will only increase as local student athletes travel to compete out of town.

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