Skip to content

Michigan athletics on pause after COVID-19 variant detected on campus

Nic Antaya / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is immediately shutting down all Michigan athletic activities for up to two weeks after multiple student-athletes tested positive for the new COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant, the school announced Saturday.

The school has five confirmed cases of the novel strain, while an additional 15 people are presumed to have also tested positive for the variant, a source told Ethan Sears of the Michigan Daily.

"Canceling competitions is never something we want to do, but with so many unknowns about this variant of COVID-19, we must do everything we can to minimize the spread among student-athletes, coaches, staff, and to the student-athletes at other schools," said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel in a statement.

The B.1.1.7 variant was initially detected last September in parts of the United Kingdom, according to the CDC. It's believed to be 50% more transmissible than the standard form of COVID-19.

A Michigan athlete from the U.K. is said to have introduced the variant on campus at the beginning of the semester, reports Sears.

The Wolverines' basketball and hockey teams are among those affected by the pause.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox