Yurachek: 'Less than 10' athletes, 2 staff members positive for coronavirus at Arkansas

Hunter Yurachek, director of athletics at the University of Arkansas, speaks Friday, March 13, 2020, in the Touchdown Club at Razorback Stadium to address questions regarding the Southeastern Conference and the university's response to the coronavirus outbreak.

FAYETTEVILLE — Fewer than 10 University of Arkansas athletes and two staff members have tested positive for covid-19 to date, UA athletics director Hunter Yurachek said Thursday.

In a 40-minute Zoom conference with reporters, Yurachek added that one case remains active in the athletics department while others who tested positive have either returned to voluntary workouts or their work environment. The athletes and staff members’ names were not provided, nor was the sport with which they are affiliated.

Based on contract tracing from the positive tests, there are currently around 20 athletes who are adhering to a 14-day quarantine period, Yurachek said, and have tested negative. Yurachek said more than 300 athletes have returned to campus.

Thursday's was the first coronavirus-related update regarding athletics since Yurachek announced June 4 that an unnamed Arkansas athlete tested positive and was recovering in isolation at an off-campus property.

“Out of the gates there was an education process, for sure, because college students are college students,” Yurachek said. “But I think as we get closer to the fall sports season, you’re starting to see the habits of our football, soccer, volleyball and cross country teams change when they’re away from our venues.

“They feel that their seasons are imminent and they don’t want to do anything that hurts that.”

Yurachek also said the UA has been able to trace each of the positive cases to an athlete or staff member traveling outside of Northwest Arkansas and “bringing that virus back.” There has been no transfer of coronavirus within any program facility, he said.

In looking ahead to fall sports and the official beginning of practice in the first week of August, testing protocols will be enhanced, Yurachek said. That will include rapid-response testing on a weekly basis for all athletes.

The NCAA released Thursday its third installment of return-to-sport guidelines, which include recommendations for athletes in high-contact-risk sports to be tested for coronavirus at least 72 hours before games; players with high-risk exposures to the virus being quarantined for 14 days; and each person on team sidelines wearing a mask.

“We are prepared both as an institution and as a conference to fall in line with those plans,” Yurachek said.

Asked for his level of optimism that sports would be played this fall, Yurachek responded "mediocre" and "not as high as it was a month ago." Yurachek said he felt last month there was a 70 percent chance for fall competition.

"I would have said back then we had a much better opportunity for this to happen," he said. "But things can happen quickly. They changed quickly in the wrong direction for us. I think if everybody will do our part as far as wearing the mask and social distancing that we still have a great chance to have fall sports this year. This is a virus and there's been peaks and valleys of this thing since it started.

"We've learned a great deal. I think this is something we've just got to be patient with."