Sports teams in Santa Clara County were surprised to learn, this weekend, that their play and practices will be put on hold. County health officials announced that college and professional sports programs are allowed to only operate outdoors, and then only if athletes do not come within six feet of one another at any time. Athletic activities invoving contact or close proximity are prohibited at least through December 21st. Teams or programs that travel outside of Santa Clara County to play will be prohibited from playing within the county for the rest of this period. Those who travel over 150 miles will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
This will impact football and basketball programs at Stanford and San Jose State among other colleges and universities.
And it will affect the pros, too. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the restrictions have the team scrambling to figure out where to practice and play.
“We need a place where we can feel safe and stay 'cause we’re not going to be able to go to our homes anymore,” Shanahan said, at a press conference. “Second thing is we need a practice field to play on, and then, obviously, we need a stadium to play in. I’m not going to be that picky.”
