Coronavirus COVID-19 Update - March 17, 2020
With the rapidly evolving Coronavirus situation, there has been a considerable amount of changes happening within the world of sports.
USA Karate has been meeting daily to discuss the most up-to-date information and its affects on our membership and signature events. With a large number of cancellations, occurring at this time, we have been receiving numerous questions in regards to both of our upcoming signature events, including the USA Open and JIC (Las Vegas, NV - April 8-12) and our National Championships (Spokane, WA - July 9-12).
At this time, we have cancelled the USA Open and Junior International Cup in Las Vegas. All event registration fees will be refunded for this event. We will be investigating options to hold the event later this year if possible.
We are continuing with plans for the National Championship and Team Trials in Spokane, WA later this summer. Currently, Spokane has a ban on events and we will revisit the situation with them in early May. Like we did for USA Open and JIC we will not implement the late fees or missed qualifier fees for this year’s National Championship.
We are closely monitoring the cases of COVID-19 in the US and looking to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and US Olympic and Paralympic Committee Infectious Disease Advisory Group for guidance as we continue to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. We understand how important it is to our members to receive information in a timely manner, and we are doing our best to ensure that all information about the coronavirus is easily accessible and readily available. We have all the information posted on our website at coronavirus.usankf.org.
USA Karate strongly recommends that organizers of its sanctioned events immediately contact their local health department for guidance on hosting activities in their communities.
USA Karate continues to stress the importance of preventing the spread of infection and recommends taking the following precautions:
- Avoid close contact to anyone coughing or sneezing.
- Keep a safe social distance of 6-8 feet
- Avoid crowds of greater than 10 people
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer that has 60-95% alcohol. This is especially important after going to the bathroom, before eating, or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing;
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Cover your mouth with a tissue or your elbow if you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash, and then wash your hands.
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces regularly.
- Monitor the WHO and CDC websites for travel advisories and follow their recommendations
USA Karate will continue to update our decisions and recommendations, and provide regular updates to the public as we receive new information. Please regularly visit USA Karate’s dedicated Coronavirus page and its social media pages for the most up to date information.
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