CHARLES CITY — Citing student safety as the top priority, school officials announced on Wednesday that the Charles City football program will be shut down for the next two weeks because of two COVID-19 infections among the players with the possibility of more.

The Comets were scheduled to host Union-La Porte City this Friday and Western Dubuque next week. They traveled to New Hampton last Friday. The Chickasaws won 15-8.

New Hampton will be celebrating its Homecoming next week.

Mason City has also canceled its next two football games.

“This week and next week’s football games are cancelled due to COVID exposure of varsity coaching staff,” the Mason City school district announced Tuesday on its website. “No varsity practice today.”

CC’S STATEMENT

The Charles City School District sent out this announcement around 4 p.m. Wednesday:

Charles City High School football will temporarily pause practice, weightlifting, and games for the next two weeks due to COVID-19 precautions. Two players have been diagnosed with COVID-19, several players are currently quarantining, and there are other suspected cases on the team. The football team did not practice on Monday or Tuesday. 

The temporary pause was communicated to players and parents this afternoon in a virtual team meeting and the Iowa High School Athletic Associaton has been notified. Marching band and cheerleader directors were also notified this afternoon. 

“The decision to pause football is all about student safety,” says Todd Forsyth Activities Director. “If we pause now, we might have a chance to reorganize in a few weeks to be able to finish the season. We know this is a difficult reality for our players and we empathize with our students, family, and community who are impacted by this temporary pause.”

Charles City Community Schools believes regardless of who you are or what your story is you can learn and be loved here and is leading by example with preventative measures to keep students and the community safe from COVID-19. The District fully supports and teaches preventative measures in an effort to protect students and keep our schools open and safe. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the community should follow these CDC guidelines:

Wash your hands often.
Put distance between yourself and other people (at least 6 feet).
Cover your mouth and nose with a face covering when around others.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces daily.

The District will reevaluate the situation in 10 days with the updated data to determine how and when to restart the program.