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PROVO — It’s easy to see how COVID-19 has thrown the BYU football program in a loop.
Even beyond the Cougars’ recent postponement of a planned Week 2 contest at Army, BYU limited practices to small groups of 10-15 players last week to deal with a "small number" of outbreaks of the novel coronavirus within the program.
The team resumed full-squad practices Monday in preparation for Saturday’s home opener with Troy (8:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN). But changes still abound, including the use of masks and face shields in training, and separating players as much as possible, such as during position drills.
Adapting to living in a COVID-19 environment goes beyond that, though.
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson said he’s planning on moving out of his apartment and into a single-space studio as soon as he can to help eliminate any contact tracing that might cause him to miss 14 more days of the season. Even more of a reason to separate himself is the fact that Wilson is currently in a 90-day window since contracting the virus, which would presumably limit his ability to contract it again, according to most medical research.
The illness wasn’t one of those cases that sent people to the hospital or knocked him out for two weeks or more, Wilson said.
"For me, it was just like a cold," he told reporters Monday. "Minor symptoms, tired, fatigued. In four days, we were ready to go again. It was not bad."
But Wilson also recognizes that his experience isn’t how everybody experiences the virus. One of his high school teachers, a beloved Corner Canyon voice who students lovingly call "Mama J," has been in the intensive care unit battling COVID-19.
For that and similar reasons, Wilson said he’s still vigilant about wearing a mask, about staying separate from BYU’s other quarterbacks — Baylor Romney and Jaren Hall — and trying to mitigate the spread of a virus that has infected 6.8 million people in the United States with a death total approaching 200,000, according to the COVID-19 dashboard at Johns Hopkins University.
That’s why he’s taking plenty of precautions, despite being in the post-recovery window: wearing a mask, taking all of his classes online, and even searching for a new apartment.
"I would rather play football than worry about any of that stuff," Wilson admitted, before adding, "I’m wearing a mask to respect others around me, though."
Wilson didn't name himself as having contracted the virus for gain or sympathy — he's not required to, by any means. But if doing so helps promote the local issue of a global pandemic — and how to stem the tide of a rising problem in Utah — then his public disclosure may be worth the forthright transparency.
"We’re all in the same boat here," BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said earlier Monday. "This thing is so unpredictable; you could do everything right and still contract the virus. We just have to be ready to put the best guys on the field with what we’re dealing with, and make any adjustments needed."
BYU hasn’t identified anybody who has tested positive for COVID-19, other than to confirm that 927 members of the campus community have self-reported positive tests through Sunday. That includes 400 active cases and 527 cases no longer in isolation, according to the school’s COVID-19 dashboard.
In managing the virus, the football team has leaned heavily on its on-campus sports medicine department, as well as medical advisors who maintain private practices off campus. To that extent, they haven’t publicly identified any player, coach or staff member who has tested positive.
Sometimes word gets out through the locker room, safety Zayne Anderson added. But that’s more through isolations and the ensuing response, and to help the Cougars know how strictly they need to follow the school’s protocols of social distancing and mask wearing to contain the spread.
"They’re pretty discreet about it. They don’t announce, even to us, who has it," Anderson said. "You kind of know the guys who have had it, and know to stay away from some of the guys who are out and about all the time. But they’re pretty discreet about privacy and all that.
"Sometimes you just don’t know who has it and who could be a carrier. So you have to stay 6 feet away from people at all times, which can be tough in the locker room."
Wilson said he contracted the virus during a neighborhood get-together when he invited a small number of friends over to play cards and hang out. Similar moments of "community spread" have been the norm as a lot of colleges and high schools have reported a high number of cases amid Utah’s current surge, which reached 64,394 confirmed cases Monday afternoon. Utah County has been at the epicenter of the most recent spike in cases, accounting for as much as 40% of new cases from a county that includes just 20% of the state's population.
"Regretfully, we continue to see transmission in social and family circumstances outside of official school activities," Skyline principal Mitch Nerdin said in a letter to parents suspending the Eagles' football activities through Thursday, Oct. 1, including Friday night’s Region 5 clash with fellow undefeated Brighton.
One of the biggest things BYU players — and anybody else — can do to limit the spread of the virus is to avoid large public gatherings and stay home when possible.
"We’ve just advised everyone to stay away from the public," Anderson said. "Don’t go to weddings or parties. It’s little sacrifices like that.
"It’s tough around here. This is a really social city. But I think we can get it done if people are willing to make some sacrifices."
