California changes course again, will allow bands, drumline

In the third revision since issuing updated youth sports guidance last week, California health officials said Monday that bands and drumlines were allowed participate alongside their student-athlete peers.

“Band, drumline, choir and drama are low-contact activities,” the California Department of Public Health wrote in an update to its Youth Sports Q&A. Those activities can resume while following the guidelines for low-contact youth recreational activities, CDPH said.

Updated guidance on attendance at youth sporting events is also “being developed,” CDPH said. It removed previous guidance that permitted only members of the same household to attend sporting events, including a ban on scouts and college recruiters.

Last Tuesday, CDPH posted the initial version of its Q&A, which was intended to clarify the confusion surrounding youth sports.

That guidance said, in no uncertain terms, that sideline cheer, band, drumline and other supporting groups were not allowed at that time.

On Wednesday, the state first clarified that flag football was considered a moderate-contact sport.

Two days later, amid fierce criticism, the state amended the Q&A to allow sideline cheer under the same rules as competitive cheer.

And on Monday, the final piece of the prep football ambiance was given the OK, with bands and drumlines newly classified as low-contact youth recreational activities, along with choir and drama.