No changes to state basketball tournament schedules after coronavirus outbreak

State boys and girls basketball Hardwood Classic tournaments in Tacoma, Yakima and Spokane will remain on schedule this week after the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Washington State Interscholastic Activities Association.

Seattle and King County officials announced at a press conference on March 2 that there are now a total of 14 cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in King County. Five King County patients have died. One patient from Snohomish County has died.

Teams the Reporter covers that are participating in the tourneys are Lake Washington girls, Issaquah girls, Mount Si boys and Bellevue Christian boys.

In a statement released on March 2, the WIAA noted that its staff “is in communication with the Washington State Department of Health and will continue to receive guidance regarding our upcoming events. The safety of participants and fans is the primary focus of our organization and we encourage those planning to attend to follow the prevention guidelines distributed by the Center for Disease Control.”

Staffs at the Tacoma Dome (3A and 4A tourneys), Yakima Valley SunDome (1A and 2A tourneys) and Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (1B and 2B tourneys) will be disinfecting high-touch areas with EPA-approved disinfectant. The events are scheduled for March 4-7 at each arena.

According the WIAA, increased hand sanitizer stations will be made available throughout each site, and the Washington State Department of Health has encouraged attendees to spread out when possible as an extra preventative measure.