Duke Athletics outlines guidelines in which football, basketball can resume

The Duke Athletics Department has released its guidelines highlighting the return of athletes and sports to campus.

Sports are inching closer to a return to Durham, North Carolina as Duke University has announced its guidelines for a safe return to campus for its football and basketball athletes.

Per a written statement released by the school, the members of the football team will be permitted to be back on campus starting on July 12.

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David Cutcliffe and his team had to suspend spring practice when the university closed in mid-March and are scheduled to open the season in Durham on September 5 against Middle Tennessee State, but no other details have been given on the game.

The release then followed suit with the other athletes who will be returning to Duke, starting with the women’s soccer team on July 21, volleyball on July 27, plus field hockey, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s soccer on July 29.

However, maybe most importantly in terms of the university, players on the Duke’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are scheduled to return to campus August 2.

All student-athletes will be immediately tested for COVID-19 upon their arrival to campus and be required to follow the safety precautions that have been set forth by the school and national medical experts.

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The Duke University fall semester will begin on August 17, and the school has instructed all students to remain in the Durham area throughout the first semester, which questions if the athletic teams will be allowed to travel across the country during the season.

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Student-athletes will be given the same tests and precautions as non-student athletes, and the school outlined that all members of the Duke community who step foot on campus will be required to complete daily symptom monitoring, wear face coverings in the classroom and public settings, and practice social distancing.