Saturday evening, the University of Michigan Athletic Department announced the immediate halting of all athletic-related activities, due to positive test results for the SAR-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant virus infections from several individuals "linked to the U-M Athletic Department." The B.1.1.7 variant is thought to be approximately 50 percent more transmissible than the standard form of the COVID-19 virus.
The decision was made by U-M officials, following a memorandum sent to the university by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which recommended the pause that is set to last "until further notice and up to 14 days."
The U-M sports that are currently in-season are men's basketball, women's basketball, ice hockey, men's gymnastics, women's gymnastics, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's swim and dive, women's volleyball and wrestling. Several other sports, including football, were in the midst of offseason training before this development.
The determination by U-M officials has forced team members (student-athletes, coaches, and team staff) to "isolate/quarantine."
Monday afternoon, the U-M Coalition of Student-Athletes released a statement calling for the reversal of the decision, referring to the shutdown as "unnecessary and excessive." The coalition referred to the mandate as being put into effect by the MDHHS, though The Detroit News has uncovered that it was U-M's prerogative to follow the recommendations.
The statement was first posted to Twitter by U-M wrestling sixth-year senior standout Myles Amine, and has been shared since by several more student-athletes. The letter, in its entirety, can be found below.
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The statement reads as follows:
"The student-athletes at the University of Michigan recognize the severity of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and have done everything in our control to prevent the spread of this virus to the best of our ability.
"Recently, five confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 strain have been found in the athletic department, which has triggered a shutdown of all athletic-related activity and the closure of all athletic facilities by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with the Washtenaw County Health Department.
"While we, the student-athletes at the University of Michigan, understand the severity of this virus and take it very seriously, we believe that this mandate from the MDHHS is unnecessary and should not only be reconsidered, but overturned.
"We trust the guidance and leadership of those in charge of the health and safety of Michigan student-athletes. Given the University's knowledge of the situation surrounding the athletic department, should a total shutdown have been necessary, it should have come from the University of Michigan leaders.
"Being members of both the Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County communities is something that the student-athletes at the University of Michigan value and cherish. We have done everything to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 to the greater community at large, in order to protect those who support us. The student-athletes at the University of Michigan have done their best to create social bubbles in order to limit exposure and have opted in for extensive testing protocols in order to compete in the safest manner possible. The physical and mental health of every Michigan student-athlete is at risk due to the recent mandate set in place.
"Based on the department's testing policies, placing healthy students in quarantine is unnecessary and excessive. Placing the entirety of student-athletes in a mandated quarantine, instead of working it on a team by team basis, is unfair to the athletes who have followed all protocols necessary to compete and have had no contact with the confirmed cases. These student-athletes have gone above and beyond in order to earn the right to have a season in the midst of a pandemic.
"We believe that it is simply illogical to mandate a quarantine for the student-athletes given that, at this point, there are no extra recommended mitigation strategies outside of what athletes have already been in compliance with (masking up, social distancing, inner bubbles, etc.).
"The student-athletes at the University of Michigan stand united in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping every member of our community safe. We are asking the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider the blanket shutdown implemented on January 24th, and allow all the student-athletes that are healthy to return to all athletic-related activities."
The statement was signed:
"Sincerely and respectfully, Coalition of Student Athletes."
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