NBNI GOING AHEAD AS PLANNED AND HERE’S WHY...
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Earlier today New York’s Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency for New York and we recognize that has many of you questioning whether that means that NBNI will be cancelled.
We realize that everyone has concerns about the health situation related to the Coronavirus COVID-19. We understand those concerns and want to reassure everyone that we are taking all information into account with our decision to hold the meet as planned.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The health, safety and welfare of our athletes, coaches, fans and staff are of paramount importance to us.
2. New York is not in a crisis situation. The State of Emergency declaration frees up $30 million that will be used to expand testing and purchase items such as masks and protective gear for healthcare workers. Note there are currently over 130,000 people in New York State who have the normal flu.
3. Governor Cuomo also endorsed the statement from World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that, “there is no need to cancel large gatherings across the board at this point.” In fact, both the New York and New Jersey State High School Indoor Track and Field Championships are taking place this weekend. And 4 million people continue to ride the New York City subways daily.
4. The NSAF Medical staff, led by Dr. Robert Jones and Dr. Amadeus Mason, have been in contact with the WHO and the CDC and we will continue to monitor those and local NY City and state agencies.
5. Both the WHO and the CDC have provided guidance documents (CDC, WHO) for those who are organizing large events, like NBNI and we and the Armory are following those guidelines and will continue to do so throughout the NBNI weekend.
Here are a few of the steps we are taking:
- Early next week after late registration closes, we will send an informational flyer to all of our participants educating them on infection prevention: washing hands, etc- everything we are all already being advised to do.
- We are asking those who feel sick, even if their symptoms are just mild, to stay home.
- We are encouraging those who recently traveled (less than 14 days) to a higher risk area as defined by the CDC’s travel page to consider not coming to the event for their own well-being and those around them.
- We encourage you to visit the CDC website travel recommendation page prior to leaving home for NBNI and follow the CDC’s recommendations you’ll find there.
- We are providing hand sanitizer dispensers at the entrance to the Armory and throughout the venue.
- We will make frequent announcements throughout NBNI reminding everyone of those precautions while also encouraging those who are feeling ill to return to their hotel room or home.
- Continue our contact and monitoring of the New York Department of Public Health.
- In the event we are ordered to cancel the event by the state or federal government, we will immediately notify all of our participants via email, social media and via other track and field websites.
- We’re looking forward to hosting you all in New York starting next Thursday. As always, it will be the “best one yet!”
NSAF March 4 Coronavirus Statement
The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF) is aware of the concerns many of you have related to the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19. At this time, there are no plans to cancel the New Balance Nationals Indoor scheduled for March 13-15 in New York.
The health, safety, and well-being of our athletes, coaches, officials, staff, volunteers, and spectators are top priorities for us and we will continue to monitor and be alert to directives from city, state and federal government agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
We ask that you do your part to keep yourself and others around you safe by following the safety precautions recommended by WHO. Simple things like washing your hands frequently, practicing respiratory hygiene, and contacting your health care provider if you feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as a headache and a slightly runny nose, go a long way to helping us keep this virus at bay.
Please take a few minutes to read the WHO precautions. They may be found here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public.
Together with the management and staff at The Armory, the NSAF is ensuring that all safety precautions are being taken with the goal of keeping us all safe and well during NBNI.
We will continue to update you should anything change. We look forward to hosting you all at the New Balance Nationals Indoor.