No COVID-19 Cases In JMU's Latest Round Of Tests

More encouraging coronavirus testing numbers continue to roll in for James Madison athletics.

On Wednesday, Dukes assistant athletic director for communications Kevin Warner said JMU administered tests on Monday for 33 men’s and women’s basketball players and staff members as well as 16 football players, and that all 49 tests were negative.

Since JMU athletes began returning to campus earlier this month, 146 players and staff members across football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball have been tested and only one positive case – an asymptomatic one – was identified.

That means more than 99 percent of those tested to this point do not have the coronavirus.

The school initially began testing football players and coaches upon the players’ arrival on July 6 and 7. Of those first 97 tests, just the one positive was detected.

This past Friday on a conference call with reporters, JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne said, “we’ve used football as the team we’re monitoring and tracking to make sure we’re doing things in a manner that safeguards our student athletes, staff and coaches.”

JMU is planning on playing football among other sports this fall, even though its league, the Colonial Athletic Association, suspended action due to the ongoing pandemic.