Friday, Sept. 24, was the restart of school-sanctioned athletic activities throughout Hawaii, according to Big Island Now.
In order to participate, athletes, coaches and training staff must provide COVID-19 vaccination records showing their first shot of the two-dose regimen was received prior to Aug. 20, with the second dose being administered three weeks later (or as close to three weeks as possible).
Only proof of legitimate medical and/or religious justifications will allow anyone to be exempt from having to take the vaccine. These policies and the timeline for restarting sports were implemented mere days before school was scheduled to return.
Despite the plan for practices and games to begin again, there are no plans for spectators to attend games at the moment. Students do not need to be vaccinated to attend school, as education is viewed as a right, but extracurricular activities such as sports are viewed as a privilege, causing the vaccination mandate to be enforced.
There have been protests across Hawaii, as in other places, as some parents believe they should have a choice in whether their children are vaccinated against COVID-19. The Hawaii Department of Education maintains that its top priority is protecting public health and that schools have a responsibility to do so when it comes to athletics.
Currently, children under 12 are not approved to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, so this mandate would not apply to them.
