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Anyone in Texas who is looking to get their fix of high school football will have to wait. According to a report from the Dallas Morning News, fall sports have been pushed back by five weeks for Class 6A and 5A football by the UIL.
Because of the delay, teams cannot begin to practice until September 7 with games now set to begin on September 24.
The good news, however, is that they plan to play the full season.
And while the top classifications will have to wait to officially kick off their 2020 campaigns, the smaller schools will be playing as originally scheduled.
“Our goal in releasing this plan is to provide a path forward for Texas students and schools,” UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt said in a statement. “While understanding situations change and there will likely be interruptions that will require flexibility and patience, we are hopeful this plan allows students to participate in the education-based activities they love in a way that prioritizes safety and mitigates risk of COVID-19 spread.”
Modified UIL Activities Calendar & COVID-19 Guidelines for 2020-2021 School Year
Press Release ⬇️https://t.co/sv3boFOD43
Full COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Guidelines ⬇️https://t.co/o3qFFIZxrF
More COVID-19 Information ⬇️https://t.co/lE7fRyRbWY pic.twitter.com/vuWybpYVQ8
— Texas UIL (@uiltexas) July 21, 2020
The coronavirus outbreak has led to the cancellation or postponing of many large events including the NCAA Tournament, Coachella, SXSW, the Winter X Games, Stagecoach, Ultra Music Festival in Miami, and more. The NBA, NHL, and MLS temporarily suspended their seasons.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 134,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
