COVID-19: Doctor calls Baker High School football game ‘Super-Spreader’

GLEN ST. MARY, Fla. — High school football is officially back. But in Baker County, not all suggested COVID-19 safety measures were followed at Friday night’s game against Bradford.

The two teams faced off in front of stands packed with fans, and there weren’t many masks or much social distancing in place.

Action News Jax showed a video of fans to the chief of community pediatrics at UF Health, and this was his response:

“It is a critical lack of leadership from the top down to the bottom up,” said Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen.

Video of fans posted to Action News Jax’s Twitter page has reached nearly 2 million views overnight.

Let’s be clear: No school or county rules and policies were broken.

However, the video shows most people right next to each other with no face coverings.

“This is a tremendously risky incident, and this is what is referred to as a super-spreader event,” said Goldhagen.

Goldhagen said events like these could cause more infections.

“I looked up the case positivity rate in Baker County this past weekend, and it’s 26.5% now. That doesn’t mean that 1 out of 4 people have COVID, but what it does mean is that too many people are not being tested,” Goldhagen explained.

“The message to the people in Baker County is the same message everywhere — that this is very serious; people die from this disease,” Goldhagen said.

Action News Jax has reached out to Baker County’s superintendent and four school board members for a response to the video and is waiting to hear back from them.

In Baker County, you don’t have to have your temperature taken and don’t have to wear a mask. But for the health of everyone attending football games, Baker County High School asks that you do take precautions.

Cox Media Group