(as of 12:00p EST, March 6, 2020)

The past week has seen rapid development regarding the status of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, as well as university administration responses to address the risk of transmission of the virus. As such, there is increased uncertainty regarding the 2020 NCTA Championships. The NCTA is taking the situation very seriously and continuing to monitor events closely.

At this time, the University of California, Berkeley has not stated any modification to sporting events or large gatherings. One case of COVID-19 has been identified in the City of Berkeley; the university states that there is no obvious connection with the school: https://uhs.berkeley.edu/coronavirus-covid-19-information.

Below please find answers to some commonly asked questions:

Will the 2020 NCTA Championships still be held?

We do currently plan to hold the championships. However, we also recognize that the situation is changing on a daily basis, and we will reassess early next week based on WHO and CDC recommendations, as well as national trends in university event travel policies.

What precautions will be taken at the NCTA Championships to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

The NCTA will regularly clean commonly touched surfaces with disinfectant between use, including:

  • Laptop computers
  • Door handles
  • Scoring system controllers
  • Electronic body and head protectors
Additionally, the following precautions will be taken:

  • Pre-Event Questionnaire for all participants screening for recent travel and flu-like symptoms
  • Hand sanitizer located around the facility
  • Disinfectant wipes located around the facility
  • “No handshake” policy: bowing or elbow bumps rather than hand shaking between competitors/coaches/officials
  • Limited or no spectators allowed
  • Posted reminders on personal hygiene:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
  • Distributed athlete holding areas reducing athlete contact

What contingency plans can athletes and coaches make?

The following airlines have change fee forgiveness policies:

We recommend checking an airline’s change policy or travel insurance policies of your credit cards before booking on that airline.

Additionally, we do recommend booking accommodations with free cancellation policies.

We are seeking clarity on the refund policy for registrations and will update you as soon as we know more. You can always register and select the pay later option – just be sure to pay by the early registration deadline (3/19).

Check the CDC travel recommendations at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html to inform your decisions.

We know how hard our high school and collegiate communities have worked, and we are exploring every resource possible to host this event with the safety of our athletes and coaches being our foremost concern.  We thank you for your support.