Prince William County Public Schools plans to bring Virginia high school athletes back for basketball and cheerleading on Dec. 7.
Other winter sports are slated to start on Dec. 14.
The school system said it is following coronavirus guidance from Gov. Ralph Northam’s Executive Order 67.
“Students should check their school websites for tryout information, including health and safety requirements necessary for participation,” the system said in a release. “This will allow the VHSL ‘Championship + 1’ schedule to begin playing in December as scheduled.”
Under Northam’s order, gyms are limited to 30% capacity or 25 spectators per court. But considering current local health metrics, PWCS will only have remote spectators.
“We know how enthusiastic many PWCS families and fans are regarding our student activity programs and understand this decision will be disappointing to many. We believe it is in the best interests of all to start season one this way, out of an abundance of caution and to take measures to do all we can to ensure that competitive play can continue for our student athletes,” the school system said.
To accommodate remote spectators, the county has installed two unmanned cameras at every high school, which will provide live and on-demand coverage for $10.99 a month, or $69.99 annually for unlimited games on the NFHS Network.
Decisions regarding spectators for fall and spring sports have not yet been made.
