Safety precautions in place as little league baseball returns in SWFL

There was a coronavirus scare for parents of Fort Myers little league players after their games were postponed when a parent showed symptoms and was tested. Luckily it came back negative.

Now that your children are back in sports or summer camps you may want to get them tested as well.

Since the parent’s test result came back negative the Fort Myers American league says the two teams they asked to cancel practices and games are allowed to take the field again.

One parent we spoke with says the league was on top of notifying the parents.

“They’re letting families know because obviously this is voluntary. You don’t have to bring your kids back and it’s nice for the parents out there that may have more concerns than we would if they actually are notified. That way they can make a decision based on what’s best for the family,” said Little League parent, Greg Coleman.

So if you’re a parent looking to get your child tested, while a doctor’s recommendation isn’t always required, most drive up or walk up testing sites do not test anyone under 18.

That means the first thing you should do is call your pediatrician’s office. Some will want to schedule an appointment with your child first to evaluate the symptoms before helping you find another doctor’s office or a hospital to conduct the test.

“When you get to the younger kids, the testing may not be as reliable and we all have kind of seen how the invasive test takes the swab and inserts it up in your nose and I think a lot of parents are concerned about doing that,” said FGCU Director of Physician’s Assistant Program, Robert Hawkes.

Hawkes says parents should only worry about testing If your kid shows common symptoms of coronavirus like running a fever or coughing, or if you someone in your household tests positive.