BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — The Mountain East Conference today announced its initial policies regarding COVID-19 for the upcoming season. The policies were supported by the league’s Committee of Athletics Administrators (CAA), the United States Center for Athletes Health (USCAH) and unanimously supported by the conference’s Board of Directors.

Of note, the league will declare any MEC games canceled due to COVID-19 protocols prior to Oct. 15 as “no-contests.” Starting Oct. 15, any contests that are canceled due to COVID-19 protocols will be considered a forfeit and will be recorded as a loss in the conference standings. The Oct. 15 date is nearly eight weeks after the Pfizer vaccine received full authorization from the FDA and six weeks following the MEC’s policy announcement. 

Further, conference members have agreed to utilize recommended standards for the testing of non-vaccinated student-athletes. The conference also announced that masking will not be required while directly engaging in athletic activity. Student-athletes will be required to adhere to the policies of the campus which they are on when not engaged in athletic-related activity. Spectators will be subject to institutional policies (masking, social distancing, etc.) which will be consistent with state and local guidelines.