SEC Tournament, Regular and Postseason Athletic Events Canceled as Coronavirus Spreads
The Southeastern Conference has canceled all of its athletic events, notably including its men's basketball tournament, through March 30th amidst the spread of the COVID-19, more commonly known as the Coronavirus.
"Based on the latest developments and the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Southeastern Conference today announced the suspension of regular season competition for teams in all sports on SEC campuses, as well SEC championship events, until March 30." the SEC said in a statement.
Florida, the No, 5 seed in the tournament, was scheduled to face No. 13 Georgia at approximately 3:30 P.M. ET today, in the second round of the SEC tournament.
On Wednesday night, the SEC had announced that the tournament would go on without fans in the arena, in order to prevent the spread of the virus. However, after a chaotic Wednesday night across the nation regarding the disease, the SEC and other conferences deemed it best to cancel their tournaments.
As of now, Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger reports that spring football campus has not been canceled and each school will be left with that decision. The Gators are scheduled to begin spring camp on March 20th.
The No. 1 Florida Gators baseball team will have 12 games canceled during the time span.
This move by the SEC is just one of many dominos to fall globally, as events are being postponed and canceled continuously as the disease has been labeled a "global pandemic" by the World Health Organization.
Of note, the NBA suspended its season on Wednesday night after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus, which forced the team and its recent opponents to be quarantined or self-quarantined, per various reports. On Thursday morning, Gobert's teammate forward Donovan Mitchell tested positive for coronavirus, according to ESPN.
As of noon on Thursday, there have been at least 120,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide, with the United States reportedly having over 1000 confirmed cases and 33 deaths.
These numbers are constantly updating worldwide.
The United States has banned some travel from Europe into the country through the next 30 days.
All classes at the University of Florida will move to an online platform on Monday, March 16th.
Stay tuned to AllGators.com for updates regarding the effect of the coronavirus across University of Florida athletics.
For more information regarding the Coronavirus, please go to CDC.gov and WHO.int.
