HERMISTON — Twelve coaches, 80 players, 14 days in quarantine.

That order was handed down to the Hermiston High School football team on Feb. 5 by the Umatilla County Health Department.

The UCHD informed the school district that four students with ties to the football team tested positive for COVID-19. To prevent the potential spread of the virus, the football coaches, players and their families have been asked to quarantine for two weeks.

“They could potentially have been exposed and they may be contagious to other folks,” UCHD’s Public Health Director Joe Fiumara said. “We know this is a huge inconvenience to these folks, and we don’t take these things lightly. The way the interactions took place, we believe they need to be quarantined to stay safe. We are always erring on the side of caution.”

Hermiston High School football coach David Faaeteete understands the UCHD is just doing its job, but nonetheless, he said, it’s frustrating.

“You follow the guidelines, take temperatures, separate into groups, keep them 6 feet apart,” Faaeteete said. “I get they are doing their job, but we are being punished for doing what we are told. You paint the whole team like we aren’t following the guidelines. I know we did things right.”

The quarantine is just one more issue Hermiston Athletic Director Larry Usher has had to deal with the past few weeks.

“The health and safety of our students is our No. 1 priority,” Usher said in a new release by the school district. “All Hermiston School District athletic and activity programs follow Oregon Health Authority guidelines.”

Faaeteete is one coach who does not have to quarantine. He said he had COVID in December 2020, and has had his first dose of vaccine. He said he is working on some virtual activities for his team to participate in over the next two weeks.

“We are trying to get kids to do something other than sitting at home, and now they are back at home,” Faaeteete said. “The kids need it. They have had opportunities ripped away. It was two weeks to slow things down. Then two months, and now almost a year. There’s no concrete evidence to show this was the right way. I’m tired of not having a positive answer for our kids.”

Sports are back

Hermiston, which was pushed out of fall sports in the Mid-Columbia Conference last month because of interstate travel restrictions, got approval on Tuesday, Feb. 9, to resume travel for league contests only.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown also lessened her restrictions on high-risk sports on Wednesday, Feb. 10, opening the door for football, albeit with health and safety protocols in place based on the county’s risk level.

Schools in high-risk counties, like Umatilla, must offer on-site responsive testing for symptomatic individuals and close contacts, contact information for contact tracing, and a waiver identifying health and safety risks, and a commitment to isolation and quarantine if exposed to COVID-19, according to a news release from Brown’s office.

Schools in extreme and high-risk counties that opt into outdoor contact sports must also have at least limited in-person learning, Brown said, with the goal of achieving hybrid or full in-person instruction for students this school year.

The Bulldogs are scheduled for two football games in the MCC, on March 5 and March 12.

The Hermiston cross-country teams are back on the MCC schedule, and will have their first meets next week.

The slow-pitch softball team will play against its MCC opponents starting next week.

The schedules for all three sports are contingent on the South Central Region in Washington being in Phase 2.

The girls soccer team has a schedule filled with nonleague games with former Intermountain Conference opponents, and will begin play in March.

With Umatilla County still in high risk, volleyball still is in limbo. If volleyball is allowed to be played, the Bulldogs have a tentative schedule with Pendleton, The Dalles, Hood River and others.

Schedules will be released when they are finalized.