No plans for now for PIAA to make changes
While changes on the professional and college levels are revealing the growing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the state playoff system in Pennsylvania will go on unimpeded, according to PIAA executive director Dr. Robert Lombardi.
“There are no plans at the moment to interrupt the tournament or limit attendance,” Lombardi said Monday. He added, however, that the PIAA staff is in daily contact with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and that the state’s scholastic athletic governing body is taking its lead from that organization.
“They advocate no cancellation of public events or community gatherings at this time,” Lombardi said.
That would include the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships, scheduled to run Wednesday through Saturday at Bucknell University in Lewisburg.
Schools are closely monitoring the situation at Lower Merion High School, which has canceled classes Tuesday for sanitizing after two students and a staff member may have been exposed to coronavirus.
The Lower Merion students and staff member may have been exposed to coronavirus during a visit to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia facility in King of Prussia, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. A CHOP cardiologist at the facility reportedly tested positive for coronavirus and is hospitalized.
The state tournament continues for the next two weeks. Several Delaware County schools still have teams playing.
Yet coronavirus is spreading rapidly. On Tuesday, following a joint mandate drawn up by four major sports leagues, only team employees and necessary personnel will be allowed in locker rooms for NHL, NBA, MLS and MLB teams.
Sports leagues in Europe have restricted or eliminated fan attendance. As a precautionary measure, Johns Hopkins decided not to admit fans to three NCAA Division III Tournament men’s basketball games on its campus last weekend in Baltimore.
The NBA has discussed the possibility of playing in empty arenas, sparking outrage from the league’s biggest star, LeBron James.
“I hope that’s not the case (with the PIAA Tournament),” said Reading High coach Rick Perez. “Our fans are a big part of who we are and what we do. If parents can’t go to state playoff games, it’s pretty brutal.”
High school tournaments in basketball and wrestling are ongoing throughout the country. Lombardi said he is unaware of any state canceling tournaments or limiting fan exposure.
In Washington state, where coronavirus was first detected in the United States, the state basketball tournament began last week with no restrictions.
“The safety of participants and fans is the primary focus of our organization,” the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association said in a statement, “and we encourage those planning to attend to follow the prevention guidelines distributed by the Center for Disease Control.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health made several recommendations, most notably, in regard to basketball, that pregame and postgame handshakes between players and coaches be replaced with forearm bumps or elbow bumps.
“We will continue to monitor, day by day, almost hour by hour,” Lombardi said, “and work with the schools involved to see if they have any concerns.”
Lombardi said that the PIAA staff has had internal discussions regarding the situation, but he didn’t want to discuss specific scenarios.
“I don’t want to get into the what-if, because that could change,” he said. “I can’t give you an absolute because it (the situation) is so fluid.”