The University of Georgia is experiencing record COVID cases as school came back into session earlier in August. The Georgie Bulldogs’ football team is echoing those same concerns as head coach Kirby Smart addressed a panel of reporters before their first upcoming home game.
This will be the first time the stadium has seen a full capacity since pre-pandemic times and instead of celebrating a return to normalcy, Smart is reporting the underlying fears we all should have. Smart has reported three or four players and another couple of staff members who are out for COVID-19. This includes the Bulldogs’ trainer and hall of famer, Ron Courson. When Smart was asked about the players’ health leading up to the home game, the head coach stated concerns over vaccinated individuals having breakthrough COVID-19 cases. He is skeptical over his ability to keep the players and other individuals safe as the Delta variant runs rampant across the nation and college campuses.
Even though the full-time staff and football players boast a 90 plus percent vaccination rate, there are cases that are continuing to sneak through. An even larger concerns lies in the stadium not holding any restrictions on capacity or masks. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if UGA implements any pandemic restrictions to help curb their rising rates.
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