President Rick Commons announced in an all-school email that sports are recommencing on-campus next week, following Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to lift California’s stay at home order. 

To ensure the safety of faculty and students, Commons said activities will follow the same guidelines as in the fall. These measures include social distancing, wearing masks, daily-screening protocols and a new COVID-19 testing system. 

“While we must remain vigilant and follow best practices to ensure the safety of our community, we are already planning for a gradual increase in student activities on campus,” Commons said. 

The future of high-contact sports such as basketball, however, remains uncertain as Los Angeles County remains in the purple, most restrictive tier because of the county’s high rate of transmission. At the purple tier, only outdoor low-contact sports such as biking and track and field are allowed. Despite these restrictions, many teams will return to campus for weight training. 

Field hockey player Ella Ganocy ’22, along with all other athletes, hasn’t practiced on campus since winter break. Ganocy said she is eager to start playing with her teammates again and has missed the time off.  

“I’m really excited that I get to go back to campus next week for field hockey,” Ganocy said. “I’ve missed practices so much so I’m so happy that I’ll get to start training again with the team.”