High School athletes in Minnesota received much appreciative news last week as they were told they are no longer required to wear a mask or face covering during competition at outdoor activities.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) released updated guidance requirements for the wearing of masks/face coverings April 15. This resulted in the Minnesota State High School League board of directors sending a request to MDH to ease the mask mandate for athletes during competition.

By an unanimous vote, the Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors recommended from its eight-member Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for the Minnesota Department of Health to adjust mask requirements, allowing masks to be removed when student-athletes are in outdoor competition.

Sure enough, as of Thursday, athletes in baseball, softball, track and field, tennis, golf and lacrosse are no longer required to wear masks or face coverings while competing or practicing outdoors. However, athletes are required to wear masks when not actively engaged in competition where social distancing isn’t possible.

Masks, however, are required should athletes from those teams have indoor practice or competition.

Back in February, parents from across Minnesota lined up at a senate committee hearing to describe how their children had been injured playing hockey or basketball while wearing a mask. The hearing centered on the pros and cons of Gov. Tim Walz’s youth sports mask mandate, part of an executive order issued before the winter sports season designed to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks among student athletes and coaches.

The parents were organized by the citizens group known as Let Them Play MN, which first worked against the moratorium on youth sports and has now pivoted to the issue of the mask mandate.

“Our concerns include decreased visibility, difficulty breathing, and potential injuries,” Dawn Gillman, who heads Let Them Play, told senators.

“Ranging from serious collisions to kids passing out it became very clear the mask mandate was not safe.”

The group introduced video clips of kids collapsing or running into each other, to support the descriptions given by parents who took part in the remote hearing.

Kelly Dilger of Big Lake said her daughter, a high school basketball player, suffered bruises when she tripped over a group of other players who had already gotten tangled up and hit the floor.

“She was wearing a face mask and collided with her teammates on the basketball court. She said she didn’t see them.”

Despite the “lift” on the mask mandate for spring sports, the MDH reiterated that masks are still required for areas of gathering, such as a bus, dugout or team camps. Track and field athletes must wear masks when gathered prior to races or attempts in field events.

Coaches must continue to wear masks and face coverings at all times at indoor and outdoor events and practices and game officials must wear masks and face coverings at all times at indoor and outdoor contests. Finally, all spectators at indoor and outdoor events are still required to wear masks.