Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill – While Humboldt County and the state of California will have to wait until the new year to see any prep football games, the state of Utah is showing the rest of the country how it can be done safely.

Almost three weeks into the season, instead of a spike the state has seen a significant decrease in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

According to a story published on Wednesday on FootballScoop.com, the precautions that officials in Utah have taken are paying off and the games have been going ahead safely.

You can check out the story here. It’s well worth a read.

The ongoing pandemic has played havoc with the sports schedule all across the nation at community, high school and college levels.

Utah, however, is showing that it can be done safely.

Included among the restrictions the state has mandated, crowd capacity can be no more than 25 percent, while fans must wear facial coverings at all times and remain seated apart.

According to the FootballScoop.com story, games have been canceled when necessary, while others have been stopped to remind fans of the restrictions and to ensure the fans follows the rules.

The story says, “Utah high school football is showing the country that playing during a pandemic requires patience, flexibility and proper precautions; but they are also showing us that football can be played safely both for the participants and for the local communities.”