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Athletes in the SEC’s high-risk fall sports will be subject to COVID-19 testing by a third-party provider twice per week during competition, the conference announced Friday.

Football, volleyball and soccer players will receive a pair of Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) surveillance test each week, with football teams being tested six and three days prior to games and one of the tests for volleyball and soccer teams being three days before their first matches of the week.

"Our Medical Task Force is producing an effective strategy for testing and monitoring, which complements the vigilant day-to-day efforts of our campuses to establish and maintain healthy environments in which our student-athletes can train and compete," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "Our health experts have guided us though each stage of preparation for the safe return of activity and, together with the medical staffs embedded within our athletics programs, we will continue to monitor developments around the virus and evolve our plan to meet the health needs of our student-athletes."

There is also a possibility of adding a third test if reliable alternative testing methods are developed that have a more rapid response and allow for a timeframe closer to competition.

Coaches, staff and non-competing personnel in those three sports will be required to wear masks on the sideline, as well as practicing social distancing as much as possible.

Athletes in cross country - the SEC’s only other fall sport - will be tested at least once per week, with it coming three days before competition.

Because of the nature of the sport, which has much less contact than the other three fall sports and is considered an “intermediate risk” sport, runners will be required to wear a face mask only at the starting line, but it can be removed when proper distancing has been achieved.

Coaches and staff in cross country will have to wear masks during pre- and post-competition while utilizing social distancing during the races.

In the event of a positive test, athletes who are asymptomatic must isolate for 10 days. If they have symptoms, they’ll be isolated for at least 10 days and must go a full 24 hours without fever and show improvement of symptoms.

After their period of isolation, they’ll need a cardiac evaluation, clearance from a team physician and then must go through the appropriate period of acclimatization following the period of inactivity.

Athletes who spent at least 15 minutes within six feet of someone who tests positive must quarantine for 14 days. Schools can - but are not required to - test those in quarantine, but it would not shorten or eliminate the 14-day quarantine period.

The 12-page document that lays out the SEC’s guidelines, which could change as more information becomes available and is “contingent upon supply chain availability,” also includes considerations for discontinuing games:

~Inability to isolate new positive cases, or quarantine high risk contacts of cases of university students.

~Unavailability or inability to perform symptomatic, surveillance or pre-competition testing when warranted.

~Campus-wide or local community positivity test rates that are considered unsafe by local public health officials.

~Inability to perform adequate contact tracing consistent with local, state or federal requirements or recommendations.

~Local public health officials indicate an inability for the hospital infrastructure to accommodate a surge in COVID-19 related hospitalizations.

The SEC’s press release reiterated that athletes who opt out of the upcoming season because of concerns related to the pandemic will keep their scholarships and remain in good standing with their team.

It also stipulated that the current requirements could change as more information becomes available and that the “plan is based on risk mitigation strategies and is contingent upon supply chain availability.”