Gov. Brown’s office holds out little hope for delayed prep football season

'Resuming youth contact sports too soon would put communities across Oregon at risk.'

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- High school football remains on Gov. Kate Brown's prohibited list of activities, even with the scheduled start of the delayed season just a few weeks away.

NewsChannel 21's Max Goldwasser reached out to Gov. Brown's office late Thursday to find out if there's a realistic chance for high school football to return in February.

Here's the response he received from Charles Boyle, Gov. Brown's deputy communications director:

"Governor Brown understands that this is a difficult time for all of Oregon’s athletes, from the youth level to college sports, but COVID-19 will set the timeline for the safe resumption of indoor and outdoor sports in Oregon. A breakdown of the county risk levels and what activities are permitted at each risk level is available here: https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/le3461.pdf. COVID-19 is still spreading in our communities, and contact sports remain a high-risk activity according to public health experts.

"Resuming youth contact sports too soon would put communities across Oregon at risk. In the meantime, the best way we can all work together to bring back youth sports in Oregon is to drive down the spread of COVID-19 by continuing to wear masks, maintain physical distance, avoid indoor social gatherings, stay home when sick, and get vaccinated when it is our turn," Boule concluded.