University of Hawaii athletics director David Matlin joined the COVID-19 Care Conversation to talk about how the university is preparing to resume sports.

Matlin shared that in preparation, the athletics department is finalizing protocols and plans for different scenarios. “We have to be more agile than we ever have been in our life,” he said. Matlin shared that the department will be implementing protocols and policies based on guidelines provided by federal, state, county, university, and league authorities.

The department is also working to determine what the fan experience will be like come fall. Matlin could not share details yet, but did say the experience will be different. The department is currently preparing for all possibilities, but expects the number of in-person fans allowed at sporting events to be limited.

Without knowing when the mandatory 14-day quarantine for trans-Pacific passengers will be lifted, Matlin said it is hard to predict what it will be like for hosting a team from another state or when UH teams return from an away game. He did say there is no question there will be significant health and safety protocols in place.

When asked if the University of Hawaii will be scaling back sports to manage costs, Matlin said the school is not talking about cutting entire sport programs, but that they are looking at ways to save money.

The athletics department hopes to release a schedule soon, but Matlin was clear to say that it will be subject to change. He expressed his gratitude for the community’s encouraging words of support during this time. He also said he is proud of the athletes and coaching staff. “It is our role to uplift the community. It’s never been more important than now,” said Matlin. “The support really means a lot.”

Watch here and comment through our Facebook page. Join Monday when Gov. David Ige and Dr. Thomas Lee, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of Hawaii at Manoa will be our guests.

Join the COVID-19 Care Conversation, live every weekday at 10:30 a.m. Yunji de Nies and Ryan Kalei Tsuji will discuss the latest news, resources and community concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Hawaii.

The COVID-19 Care Conversation, sponsored by Hawai’i Executive Collaborative and Hawaii Pacific Health, airs live every weekday at 10:30 a.m. on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Facebook page. Yunji de Nies and Ryan Kalei Tsuji discuss the latest news, resources and community concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in Hawaii.