Lauren Bevins made school history.
The senior golfer was the first female from Eastern High School (Beaver, Ohio) to qualify for the district golf tournament.
On Tuesday morning, Bevins would have not only been the first to qualify, but she would also have been the first to compete.
Bevins never got the chance to pull a club from her golf bag.
She was named in a COVID case and contacted by public health officials who told her to quarantine for 14 days. The district golf tournament fell on day 10 of Lauren’s quarantine.
“This decision was decided at the state level – not local,” Matt Brewster, health commissioner of the Pike County General Health District said in a statement to The Ohio Star.
Brewster continued, “I reached out to the ODH [Ohio Department of Health] two times – once on Thursday and again on Friday – about this situation, inquiring about possible scenarios. I was told both times that she must complete her quarantine period and cannot participate.”
The Star asked Governor DeWine during his Tuesday COVID press conference why the ODH wouldn’t let Lauren play, despite being well and her local health commissioner trying to make it happen.
“Our health advisors, not just in the health department, but our main doctors around the state, are very reluctant, frankly, to change the guidance,” said DeWine.
The governor also reminded that parents and students wanted in-person schooling and sports. Consequently “we’re going to have to follow basic health guidelines and these are the guidelines,” said DeWine.
The governor concluded “It’s a tough situation for her. I’m very, very sorry for her. I know that doesn’t help her a bit, but I’m very sorry for her. I think if this was my child – how upset I would be, and I understand that. But, we’ve got to try to keep people safe at the same time we are trying to get as many kids out playing sports and going to school as we can.”
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Jack Windsor is Managing Editor and an Investigative Reporter at The Ohio Star. Windsor is also an Investigative Reporter at WMFD-TV. Follow Jack on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
