Update, 3/17: The UNC athletics department announced on Tuesday morning that all spring athletic competitions will be cancelled for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season, in accordance with the ACC's decision to cancel all athletic activities through the rest of the school year.
Events cancelled include the USA Field Hockey event vs. China on April 10-12 and the spring football game scheduled for April 18.
The UNC athletics department will suspend all athletic activities — including competition, practices, recruiting and participation in NCAA championships — until further notice, according to an announcement from the department Thursday afternoon.
Minutes later, the NCAA announced the cancellation of the Division I men's and women's 2020 basketball tournaments, in addition to its remaining winter and spring championships, to "ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic," according to an announcement from the association.
The decisions were made to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus. The UNC athletic department's decision was made in accordance with the ACC's decision to suspend all athletic-related activities, including the cancellation of the remaining games of the ACC Tournament, announced the same day.
On Wednesday, UNC announced a one week extension of spring break and a switch to mostly remote class instruction beginning Monday, March 23, although campus will remain open during this time. Other schools within the ACC, including Duke and NC State University, have made similar decisions.
The spread of the virus has caused disruption to events beyond college sports: The NBA recently announced it was suspending its season after Rudy Gobert, a player for the Utah Jazz, tested positive for coronavirus.
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