Governor Phil Murphy gave the official announcement that schools in New Jersey will remain closed through the rest of this academic year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the press briefing came Monday. Schools have been learning remotely since the middle of March and will continue in that capacity.
"All schools will remain closed for in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year -- to protect the health of our children, our educators, and their families," Governor Murphy tweeted in conjunction with his press conference, "Guided by safety and science, this is the best course of action."
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A slide reading, "NJSIAA has advised against the resumption of spring sports," appeared as Murphy added, "the NJSIAA medical board has concluded due to a lack of testing, viable treatments, and a vaccine that spring sports were not a viable option."
"I know the NJSIAA took no pleasure in reaching that conclusion, and frankly neither do I in stating it," Murphy concluded on the subject.
The NJSIAA later gave their own statement on the cancelled spring season which read:
"Following today's announcement by Governor Murphy, the NJSIAA has officially canceled New Jersey's 2020 high school spring sports season. This decision was not made lightly and we are disappointed for the thousands of New Jersey student-athletes who will be unable to compete this spring. While we remained hopeful to the end, and left open every possibility, competition simply is not feasible given the circumstances.
"The last few weeks have been heartbreaking on many levels, from the tragic loss of life, to thousands battling the virus, to millions who have suffered emotional and economic loss. It's been a harrowing time for everyone, and we know our student-athletes are extremely disappointed. That said, these unfortunate circumstances may have put an intriguing challenge in the path of our young people. As New Jersey's own Vince Lombardi once said, "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up. " We're confident all our kids will get back up and stand tall.
"The NJSIAA will continue developing plans for the potential restarting of scholastic sports during the fall season. Additional information related both to the summer recess and fall will be shared at a later date."
