SEC monitoring cornoavirus case in Nashville ahead of men’s basketball tournament
By SDS Staff
Published:
Nashville Mayor John Cooper confirmed the area’s first case of coronavirus on Sunday. The news comes just days ahead of the SEC men’s basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena.
When AL.com’s John Talty contacted the SEC regarding the coronavirus situation and the basketball tournament, the conference referred back to an earlier statement it put out when the first case in Tennessee was confirmed in Williamson County.
“The SEC remains in regular communication with local, state and national public health officials, including the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as our member schools and tournament hosts in Nashville,” the league said in a statement. “At this time, the Conference has not modified any scheduled events related to next week’s SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, while reminding everyone to be attentive to everyday preventive actions identified by the CDC.”
Talty also contacted ESPN public relations about the World Wide Leader and the SEC Network’s plans for coverage from Nashville:
The SEC Network, with plans to host a variety of live programming on-site in Nashville, is “closely monitoring the situation and continue to implement appropriate preventive measures,” according to an ESPN spokesperson. Neither the SEC Network nor ESPN, which will televise five SEC Tournament games, has altered coverage plans.
The Nashville news comes on the same day the NCAA’s vice president of men’s basketball provided an update on March Madness plans. The SEC tournament schedule and bracket were set Saturday with the completion of the 2019-20 regular-season.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
