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A COVID-19 exposure alert has been issued for a recent school football game in Moniteau County.
The Moniteau County Health Center on Wednesday issued the alert for the Oct. 17 California Middle School football game against Hallsville.
One of the California players who participated in the game later tested positive for COVID-19.
A close contact of a positive COVID-19 case is defined as being within 6 feet of someone what has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more, providing care to someone with COVID-19, direct physical contact; sharing eating or drinking utensils or contact with respiratory droplets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In accordance with the National Federation of State High School Associations, football is classified as a higher-risk sport for COVID-19 transmission due to close sustained contact between participants, lack of significant barriers and high probability that respiratory particles will be transmitted between participants.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association requires all participants in sports who have had contact with a sick individual to be excluded from practice and play for 14 days.
The CDC recommends close contacts get tested for COVID-19.
Symptoms of COVID-19 may include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea, according to the CDC.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website at health.mo.gov/coronavirus or the CDC website at cdc.gov/coronavirus.
Missouri operates a statewide COVID-19 hotline at 877-435-8411 from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week.