A number of returning members of the Illinois men's basketball team arrived on campus Friday, continuing the process for the safe return of Fighting Illini student-athletes to campus over the coming months. This follows Monday's arrival of a group of returning members of the Illini football team.
Illinois' return plan, announced May 22, opens with robust COVID-19 testing and initial quarantining for all student-athletes before they are clear to begin voluntary activities. In addition, all staff members who will interact regularly with the student-athletes will undergo testing before they are approved to return to their offices. Student-athletes and staff will be retested frequently through the summer and into the new academic year.
Illinois has developed detailed workout protocols, which include safety elements borrowed from comparable procedures crafted by the NFL, NBA, United States Olympic Committee, NCAA, and Big Ten. These protocols include daily symptom checks and entry screenings; locker room, shower, and laundry procedures; guidance on group size and composition; directives regarding facility and equipment usage and cleaning; and expectations for safe coaching and instruction.
Per NCAA guidance, all football and basketball workouts in the month of June must be strictly voluntary.
