COVID-19 outbreak connected to Louisiana Classic wrestling tourney

January 23, 2021
By CCS Staff
Category: Preps

The Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release Saturday afternoon it has confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 connected to the Louisiana Classic wrestling tournament in Gonzales Jan. 15-16.

The LDH said it has received more than 20 reports of athletes, staff and attendees testing positive for the coronavirus who were in attendance last weekend.

Thirty schools from around the state competed in the meet, including 12 from the metro area – Archbishop Hannan, Archbishop Rummel, Archbishop Shaw, Belle Chasse, Brother Martin, Chalmette, De La Salle, Fontainebleau, Holy Cross, Jesuit, John Curtis Christian and St. Paul’s.

“Anyone who attended the tournament … should consider themselves exposed to COVID-19,” the news release said. In addition to contacting their healthcare provider for testing, “All individuals attending the event should also quarantine, or stay home, to prevent further spread of COVID-19.”

According to the LDH, the standard quarantine period is 14 days after exposure, but the department accepts the following shortened quarantine options: If symptoms do not develop by day 10 post exposure, the quarantine period can be shortened to 10 days; or if an exposed person tests negative by a viral test (not an antibody test) on day 5 or later post exposure, and they have no symptoms by day 7 post exposure, the quarantine period can be shortened to 7 days.

The full news release from the LDH follows:

Baton Rouge, La. (January 23, 2021) — The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed an outbreak connected to Louisiana Classic Wrestling Tournament held at Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales on January 15-16, 2021. The Department has received more than 20 reports of athletes, staff and attendees testing positive for COVID-19.

Anyone who attended the tournament either day – January 15 or January 16 – should consider themselves exposed to COVID-19 and should immediately contact their healthcare provider to get tested even if they are not experiencing symptoms. If you do not have a healthcare provider, you can call 211 who can help you identify one. LDH has a list of COVID-19 test sites on its website.

In addition, all individuals attending the event should monitor for the following COVID-19 symptoms, which may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

All individuals attending the event should also quarantine, or stay home, to prevent further spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 can be transmitted before symptoms appear and even by people who never experience symptoms. The standard quarantine period is 14 days after exposure, but LDH accepts the following shortened quarantine options:

If symptoms do not develop by day 10 post exposure, the quarantine period can be shortened to 10 days.
If an exposed person tests negative by a viral test (not an antibody test) on day 5 or later post exposure, and they have no symptoms by day 7 post exposure, the quarantine period can be shortened to 7 days.

Individuals following one of the shortened quarantine options should continue to self-monitor for symptoms for the entire 14 days and carefully follow all prevention measures, including masking, distancing and hand hygiene.

Anyone with questions about isolation or quarantine can call the LDH Contact Tracing line for further information: 877-766-2130.