Georgia to begin spring practice on schedule, for now
According to J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Greg McGarity, who spoke with Dawgs247 via telephone, the Bulldogs are permitted to resume on-campus practices as usual. That means that as of right now, UGA will begin spring football practice on March 17.
McGarity says the decision is ultimately up to Kirby Smart on whether he wants to suspend the start of spring drills or not and the two have not yet spoken or come to a decision on that. But to be clear, there is no mandate from the SEC regarding on-campus practices at this time.
The university announced on Thursday that person-to-person classes will “resume normal class operations following Spring Break on Monday, March 16.”
That goes for all 26 schools in the University System of Georgia and it was made by the board of regents.
As of now, there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Athens, Ga., but it's important to note that thousands of students will be returning to campus after traveling for spring break. There have been 12 confirmed cases in the Peach State thus far.
The SEC originally decided to hold the rest of its spring sporting events with no fans present until March 30, but that decision lasted less than 24 hours as the league announced on Thursday that it was cancelling spring sporting events until that date.
"Based on the latest developments and the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Southeastern Conference today announced the suspension of regular season competition for teams in all sports on SEC campuses, as well SEC championship events, until March 30," the SEC said via twitter.
As for UGA's pro day which is scheduled for March 18, no announcement has been made. Multiple NFL teams have already announced that they have decided to prohibit coaches from attending pro days at universities.
A number of programs have also cancelled person-to-person classes until further notice, instead moving to online classes until the spread of the virus is under control. We're still awaiting word on the NCAA basketball tournament with selection Sunday just a few days away. The NCAA has already announced that the tournament will be held without fans present but many expect the event as a whole to be cancelled or suspended.