A COVID-19 test is administered to an athlete in the small gym at Rangeview High School Jan. 10. In order to safely allow participation in Season B sports — boys and girls basketball, boys and girls wrestling, girls swimming and competitive spirit — Aurora Public Schools athletes will undergo mandatory testing twice a month, which the district has made possible. (Photo by Courtney Oakes/Sentinel Colorado)
Story excerpt:
"In about the time it takes to watch one of her 3-point shots travel to the hoop, Brianna Linnear got done with her COVID-19 test Jan. 10.
The Rangeview senior girls basketball player walked out of the small gym at her school with a smile on her face — concealed by her mask — at how much easier this swab up her nostril had been compared to her previous experience.
'I’ve gotten a COVID test before and it was terrible,' Linnear said. 'I think they went up in there to my brain with the first one, so I was scared. This one was way better.'
That’s good news, because it will become a regular practice for Linnear, who was part of the first wave of athletes and coaches around the Aurora Public Schools to receive testing, which the district announced a few days earlier would be mandatory in order to participate in Season B sports due to the coronavirus pandemic.