The NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship – First Round at the Goldfarb Gymnasium at Johns Hopkins University. | Patrick Smith / Getty Images
WASHINGTON – Johns Hopkins University hosted the first games of the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament in an empty gymnasium in Baltimore on Friday – the day after Maryland confirmed three cases of coronavirus.
In an unfortunate coincidence, one of the teams was from Yeshiva University in New York, which had some of its Manhattan campuses closed this week by the global viral epidemic. According to officials, a student tested positive for the virus, as well as a rabbi who teaches two undergraduate courses at the university.
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It’s not certain that similar scenes will take place across the country later this month during the NCAA marquee and the lucrative March Madness tournament. With days before Sunday selection, so far, much of the bacteria-rich college sports scene is going according to plan.
The NCAA has an emergency plan for the tournament and has formed a medical advisory group that includes former general surgeon Vivek Murthy and NCAA chief physician Brian Hainline. The NCAA said it did not yet recommend canceling the games or prohibiting fans from attending sporting events.
“Panelists believe that we need to better understand COVID-19 while continuing to work with local, state and federal health authorities such as the CDC,” officials said in a statement. “The key is that all stakeholders and athletes practice risk mitigation at all events.”
The National College Players Association, however, called on the NCAA to consider hosting March Madness games in empty arenas.
“Precautions should include the cancellation of all ancillary events that put players in contact with crowds such as meetings and greetings, and press events,” added NCPA executive director Ramogi Huma in a press release this week. “Sports programs should also take all possible steps to disinfect buses and planes used to transport players.”
Johns Hopkins announced shortly after the Maryland coronovirus cases were confirmed that he would close the tournaments he was hosting.
“In light of the recently confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maryland, and based on CDC guidelines for large gatherings, we have determined that it is prudent to hold this tournament without spectators,” said the department. university sports. “We are not making any decisions on other JHU events at the moment; pending further directives from public health authorities, we will assess major events on a case-by-case basis. “
This kind of movement is still rare.
The University of Washington men’s basketball team traveled and played as planned this week, as the virus made dozens of sick people in the Seattle area and prompted the university to organize the latest courses remotely and quarterly final exams.
Classes at Vanderbilt University are expected to resume normally next week, although a student tested positive for the virus after returning home from a trip abroad. Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball Team said he was following a “#FistBumpPolicy”.
As for Yeshiva University, the Maccabees have moved on to a second round game on Saturday which they will again play alongside the vacant stands at the Goldfarb Gymnasium. But their hotel reservation was canceled, and the coach told the AP that he blamed fears of the coronavirus.
