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The SEC has taken the first step toward the return of sports.

As voted on by the 14 SEC presidents Friday, the conference will allow voluntary in-person athletics activities - at the discretion of each school - beginning June 8.

All activities had been suspended through May 31 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but now things can start to resume “under strict supervision of designated university personnel and safety guidelines developed by each institution,” according to the SEC’s press release.

“I appreciate the leadership and commitment of SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, our conference member institutions and the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force related to returning student-athletes to campus,” Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek wrote in a statement on Twitter. “As we resume on-campus activities, the continued health and well-being of our student-athletes will remain our top priority.

“I sincerely appreciate the efforts of our Department of Athletics staff and numerous medical professionals across our state, who worked collaboratively to develop a detailed plan in accordance with University, SEC, NCAA and Arkansas Department of Health directives. We are well prepared and look forward to confidently welcoming back many of our student-athletes in the coming weeks.”

This comes just a couple of days after the NCAA Division I Council voted to lift the moratorium on such athletic activities for football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, with decisions regarding other sports to come at a later date. That left it up to individual conferences to determine when their athletes could return to campus.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, the SEC considered allowing those voluntary workouts beginning June 1, June 8 and June 15, and the schools ultimately met in the middle.

No other dates - such as when football practices can begin or when the season will start - were determined, but Sankey did say in a statement that the conference is “preparing to begin the fall sports season as currently scheduled.”

The SEC’s press release also recommended the following enhanced health and safety measures:

~Enhanced education of all team members on health and wellness best practices, including but not limited to preventing the spread of COVID-19

~A 3-stage screening process that involves screening before student-athletes arrive on campus, within 72 hours of entering athletics facilities and on a daily basis upon resumption of athletics activities

~Testing of symptomatic team members (including all student-athletes, coaches, team support and other appropriate individuals)

~Immediate isolation of team members who are under investigation or diagnosed with COVID-19 followed by contact tracing, following CDC and local public health guidelines

~A transition period that allows student-athletes to gradually adapt to full training and sport activity following a period of inactivity

The voluntary workouts in June can only be supervised by strength and conditioning personnel, per NCAA rules. Football and basketball coaches can continue conducting up to eight hours of virtual meetings through June 30, but organized practices are still prohibited.