NCAA Unveils Health Protocols For Men’s-Women’s March Madness Tournaments
Tuesday, March 1, 2022 at 09:15PM NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service
March 1, 2022: The NCAA today released COVID-19 guidance for the upcoming Div. I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, including protocols and testing requirements for each championship.
The NCAA said it “encourages indoor masking when Tier 1 individuals are not practicing and competing, in their hotel room, or eating and drinking.”
Each team may also implement protocols that are in keeping with local public health authorities and the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on COVID-19 Community Level and COVID-19 Prevention.
All individuals in the official travel party will be considered Tier 1.
The guidance does not require on-site testing for asymptomatic individuals in Tier 1.
Among the guidelines, before traveling to championship sites, Tier 1 individuals “must be tested for COVID-19 or meet the requirements for exemption from testing.”
The Div. I Women’s Final Four is in Target Center, Minneapolis, April 1-April 3.
The Div. I Men’s Final Four is in Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, April 2-Apirl 4.
Per the NCAA, "Tier 1 individuals, including student-athletes, should engage only in scheduled team activities when traveling or at a host/competition site.
"All nonexempt individuals in a travel party must produce a negative COVID-19 test result before travel to a tournament site. This can be an antigen test within one day of arrival or a PCR test within two days of arrival.
"To be exempt from testing, a Tier 1 participant must be fully vaccinated or have documentation of a COVID-19 infection within the previous 90 days."
The NCAA said individuals are "considered fully vaccinated if they are 14 days past completing the primary series of vaccination or have completed the primary series of vaccination and have received a booster.
"On-site testing recommendations will be made by the team's primary athletics health care provider and will be based on a combination of symptoms or a risk assessment from a documented close contact with someone with COVID-19. Tournament hosts will provide COVID-19 tests on site."
Schools were reminded that local municipalities and venues might have more stringent COVID-19 testing protocols than guidance outlined by the NCAA and CDC. Officials will receive similar NCAA protocols as those provided to member schools.
The NCAA said its guidance was developed in conjunction with the NCAA Medical Advisory Group.
The Women's 2022 March Madness Tournament schedule:
• Selection Sunday: March 13 ESPN
• First Four: March 16
• First round: March 18-19
• Second round: March 20-21
• Regional Rounds March 25-28
• Final Four: April 1 ESPN
• NCAA Championship Game: April 3 ESPN
The Men's 2022 March Madness Tournament schedule:
• Selection Sunday: March 13 CBS 6 PM ET
• First Four: March 15-16
• First round: March 17-18
• Second round: March 19-20
• Sweet 16: March 24-25
• Elite Eight: March 26-27
• Final Four: April 2 TBS
• NCAA Championship Game: April 4 TBS
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