ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Youth sports in St. Louis County are being restricted again as COVID-19 cases among young people are on the rise, according to St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page.
Page held a press conference Thursday afternoon.
He announced players will only be able to practice and play within their own teams. There will no competitive play and groups will be limited to 10 or less. No spectators will be allowed. These restrictions go into effect on July 20.
“And I know that there are many, many families, many teams that have worked really hard to follow the guidelines and follow all the recommended precautions. And these changes will deeply affect them. And for that, I am truly sorry, but it's my duty to do what's necessary based on expert advice to look out for the health and welfare of everyone in St. Louis County, including our kids.”
He said the sport isn’t the problem — it’s the people gathering to watch and things like hanging out on the sidelines.
"Kids practice together, they play together, they socialize together, they hang out on the sidelines," he said.
“Sports are one of the most important ways to learn responsibility, discipline and teamwork,” Page said.
Page said the contact tracers in the county have noticed a disturbing trend and that “a lot of new cases of COVID-19 are tied to activities and youth sports.”
Since the pandemic began, there have been more than 700 cases of the coronavirus in people under the age of 19. He said the average number of new cases among them is 20 per day.
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