Currently, the plan is for all PIAA fall sports to start on time. But as of now, no fans will be permitted to attend those sporting events.
If the state and the PIAA feel it is safe for players to engage in contact sports, families, friends and the student body should be permitted to support them under strict guidelines.
Monday, Governor Tom Wolf, in a joint press conference with state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, addressed his current ban on spectators.
“In two more days, we’ll have more formal guidelines,” Wolf said. “I hate to sound fuzzy here, but this is a work in progress. The situation changes every day across the state. We’re just trying to keep up with the virus and trying to give the guidance that we can to help parents feel and students feel, and the teachers and coaches and administrators feel, that they can safely come back to education.”
Fans of scholastic sports should not read too much into that statement by Wolf. While there is the potential for Wolf to make a change to his current ban, he could also place the decision it in the hands of the PIAA or individual schools to decide if fans can attend high school sporting events this fall.
If Wolf gives individual schools the option to allow fans under some form of strict guidelines, it forces schools to make another tough decision during these unique times.
Schools are already trying to engineer back to school plans, and what that will look like for teachers and students. That decision alone is a difficult one. Whether is is online-only, all students back in school full time or some hybrid model, school boards and administrators are attempting to create a safe haven for education to take place in the upcoming weeks.
It would be great if Wolf would alter his ban and allow fans at games. And if he does, the plan has to protect every person, including the players on the court, on the course or the field.
Everyone needs to continue to live their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. But safety needs to be the top priority no matter what someone is doing, especially if the are going to be around others.
Wolf also said Monday that schools that choose the online-only approach for back to school should not play contact sports in the fall.
“I’m not sure we’ve figured out exactly how we can do this, but what happens in schools should be consistent with what happens on the playing fields,” Wolf said. “In other words, if the school is going completely virtual, it seems hard to justify having in-person contact sports being played in the fall. If the school is going to be open and feels it’s safe, if teachers, administrators parents feel it’s safe to reopen, that’s a different proposition for contact sports.”
If one athlete tests positive for coronavirus, the team has to shut down all practices and games for 14 days. That in itself makes Wolf’s upcoming decision more difficult.
Spectators and media all want to be at games this fall. And they should be permitted as long as they are doing their part to protect themselves and everyone around them.
This continues to be a fluid situation. Things change every day during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe Wolf’s initial decision to ban fans will also change, and hopefully the ones closest to these athletes will see them play out their high school careers.