Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has given the green light to high school coaches and athletes to resume "high-risk" sports next week.
During a press conference Wednesday morning, Curran joined Nassau school officials to announce the county's plans to resume high-risk sports. Those include sports like basketball, wrestling and competitive cheerleading.
On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo allowed county health officials to decide when to resume those sports.
"We are excited to get the kids back on the field, courts and bring a little normal back in their lives," says Curran.
The county says it is adhering to and are directing the school districts to follow the New York state guidelines in its entirety.
The New York state-required guidance to resume sports includes no more than 50% occupancy indoors, maintain 6 feet distance between players, face coverings and requires hand sanitizing at hand washing facilities.
There will be health screenings for athletes and employees, but they will not be mandatory. There also will not be a COVID-19 testing requirement.
That differs dramatically from the guidelines laid down by Suffolk County earlier this week, which laid out plans for student-athletes to be tested weekly and temperatures to be checked often.
The counties also differ in spectator attendance -- Nassau will allow two spectators per child on the home team, while Suffolk will allow no one in the stands.
Curran says individual school districts can add to the state's guidelines if they want.
"We have 56 independent school districts, 56 independent communities. Each district will make its own choice, and I trust them to make the best choice for their communities, just as I trust families to make the best choice for their kids," says Curran.
The county says it will be doing spot compliance checks and will respond to complaints.