Corona High football team players potentially exposed to COVID, cancels game against Ramona High

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- The Corona High School football team was forced to cancel its game against Ramona High School due to potential COVID exposures.

With students back on campus and more risk of exposure to the virus, it seems like this might be the new norm.

The cancellation of Thursday night's varsity game led to much disappointment for both schools. According to district officials, next week's game has been called off, too.

The potential COVID exposures occurred with the Corona High School team. Eyewitness News has learned there were several potential COVID exposures impacting many of the cohorts - the position groups - on that team.

The school district said there is one confirmed COVID case on the Corona High School team, but 10 other players were potentially impacted.

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So, out of an abundance of caution, the game was canceled. Both of the schools' athletic departments were in contact in an effort to reschedule the game later this season.

Several other high school games have been canceled. Centennial High School had to cancel its game against Mater Dei High School two weeks ago.

"A lot of our students are playing travel ball, and just high competitive sports outside of the school system, which in some cases, that's where some of the positive contracts happen," said Evita Tapia-Gonzalez with the Corona-Norco Unified School District.

Similar scenarios are playing out in schools all across the Southland.

The LAUSD reported earlier this week that around 3,200 students tested positive for COVID in baseline screening conducted before the school year began. The entire district has more than 600,000 students district wide, so those who tested positive account for about .5%.

The Pasadena Unified School District said 16 students and seven staff members have tested positive for COVID, and 40 people are under quarantine.

In addition, 20 people at Elsinore High School tested positive for COVID, and 300 of its students were under quarantine.

At Ramona High School, four students tested positive for COVID. That figure is at the low end in the Riverside Unified School District. At Martin Luther King High School, there are 16 confirmed positive COVID cases on campus.

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