(WXYZ) — Fall high school sports in Michigan that were halted during the 3-week pause in mid-November will be able to resume under a new pilot program, according to the state.
Related: Indoor dining to remain closed through mid January, movie theaters, casinos & more can reopen
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon said the pilot program will involve antigen testing, and allow sports like high school football, volleyball and other fall sports to resume their playoff tournaments.
Related: Read the Michigan epidemic order keeping in-person dining closed, reopening some businesses
Practice will begin for the three remaining sports that have tournaments left on Dec. 21.
Football, girls volleyball and girls swimming and diving teams will be able to play as part of the pilot rapid testing program which will gain insight on the spread of COVID-19. More details will come from the MDHHS soon.
The football playoffs will begin again on Saturday, Jan. 2 with regional finals for 11-player teams and 8-player teams. The 8-player championships and 11-player semifinals will be played on Saturday, Jan. 9, and the 11-player championships will happen Jan. 15-16. All will be played at home sites. Sites for the championship games will be posted soon.
Girls volleyball quarterfinals will begin on Jan. 5, with semifinals and finals from Jan. 7-9 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek. Swimming & Diving will return the weekend of Jan. 15-16.
Winter sports will remain on paue until Jan. 16, but alpine skiing will be allowed to begin on Monday. Dec. 21 with practice.
The MHSAA expects all spring 2021 sports to begin on time.
According to the state, high school classes will resume in-person learning under the latest epidemic order.
Related: High schools in Michigan can reopen for in-person instruction after holiday break
Other businesses in Michigan can also reopen like casinos, bowling alleys, movie theaters and more. In-person dining is halted through Jan. 15, but those restrictions could be lifted early if cases in Michigan continue to decline.
