COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice, WVSSAC director discuss plans for fall sports and activities; Amjad appointed as new State Health Officer – West…

HIGH SCHOOL & MIDDLE SCHOOL FALL SPORTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES With the daily number of new COVID-19 cases continuing to climb, Gov. Justice joined West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) Executive Director Bernie Dolan during his briefing on Friday to discuss current plans for high school and middle school sports, cheerleading, and marching band activities for the fall season.

No one wants sports and activities to be going on more than Bernie and I do, Gov. Justice said. We absolutely want our kids back in school. But we want to do it in a way that we know is as safe as we can possibly make it for our students, as well as those who are working with our students like our teachers and service personnel.

Bernie and I surely recognize the importance of sports, Gov. Justice continued. They give us so much. They teach us so many life lessons. Theyre important to our communities, they bring us together. But, at the same time, we need to be safe.

In accordance with the Governors announcement Wednesday that the beginning of the school year would be adjusted to Sept. 8, 2020, Dolan announced Friday that the fall sports and activities calendar would also be adjusted.

We are pushing back our practice dates, Dolan said. Instead of starting on August 3rd the date most fall sports practices wouldve started except volleyball were moving the start of all of our practice activities to August 17th.

Dolan announced that, under the current plan, golf would be the first sport to resume competition because its participants are adequately able to socially distance from one another during matches. There is also less practice time required to resume competition for golf. As a result, golf is currently scheduled to tee off its season on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020.

Competitions for volleyball, cheerleading, cross-country, and soccer are currently scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020.

Football games would be able to start as early as Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, under the WVSSACs current plan.

Dolan added that competition attendees will have to follow additional safety guidelines, which will vary based on the type of sport and the facility in which it is being played but will likely include social distancing and the wearing of masks, to keep all participants and visitors as safe as possible.

Any additional WVSSAC guidelines will be provided on onlineas soon as they become available.

I tell people, its up to the public to decide whether or not we are going to have athletics come this fall, Dolan said. Because youre the one who will wear the masks.

It sounds like its an easy thing to do for everybody to get on board, Dolan continued. So, if you are the one whos not socially distancing, not wearing a mask, you very well could be the one you are setting an example for somebody not to follow and then that hurts all of our chances of participating.

Click to read more: Statewide Indoor Face Covering Requirement

We all know that we may have to change again, Gov. Justice said. We do not know what this is going to do. There is no playbook here.

But we hope and pray that well be ready to go and weve got to have a plan of what were going to be able to do...if we can, Gov. Justice continued. I want to emphasize if we can. Were going to do it safely. Were going to do it right. Were going to protect our kids in every way.

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COVID-19 UPDATE: Gov. Justice, WVSSAC director discuss plans for fall sports and activities; Amjad appointed as new State Health Officer - West...