Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

North Carolina Tar Heels

Breakout fallout: UNC pauses athletic activities amid spike in COVID-19 cases on campus

Keith Farner

By Keith Farner

Published:

North Carolina athletics has paused activities until at least 5 p.m. on Thursday following an upward trend in positive COVID-19 tests on campus.

The athletics department announced the news just about 24 hours before that initial deadline after officials said they consulted with health experts and leaders on campus. Campus recreation facilities also will be closed.

“We want to make sure we continue to do everything we can to ensure that that our teams, campus and community remain healthy,” Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said in a statement.

On Monday, UNC announced that all undergraduate classes would shift to remote learning and asked that students residing in on-campus residence halls move home. International students, student-athletes, ROTC students, and students with hardships are allowed to stay on campus, if they choose.

Student-athletes will continue to have access to academic support, student-athlete development, medical care and nutrition. All students, coaches and staff will continue to be expected to follow Carolina’s Community Standards.

The Daily Tar Heel reported that UNC had previously announced it intended to allow athletes to remain on campus, even as it asked the general student body to cancel their housing contracts and return to a permanent address.

A spokesman added that this pause doesn’t change plans for playing games this season.

“We still are expecting to play this fall, and we will continue to evaluate the situation in coordination with the University, the ACC, state and local officials, and health officials,” the spokesperson said. “The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and community remains our priority.”

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.

You might also like...

2025 RANKINGS

presented by rankings

Read our Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Cookie Policy and

© 2025 Saturday Down South. All rights reserved

We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. We support responsible gambling. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI). global.footer.legal