UT's Jalen Johnson

-- Photo By Jerry Denham | The Ledger

How does Nashville find the sweet spot between hoops and health? That was the dilemma this week as the clock ticked down for the start of the SEC Men’s Basketball Championship amid a steady stream of news on the spread of COVID-19.

Opening-round games were played as usual Wednesday night, shortly after the SEC announced Thursday-Sunday games would be played with fans in attendance. This morning, the SEC pulled the plug on the remainder of the tournament.

"Based on the latest developments and the continued spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Southeastern Conference today announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville," the league's Twitter account stated.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee, both SEC members, have canceled in-person classes, Vanderbilt at least through March 30 and UT through April 3 at its Knoxville campus and march 30 at Chattanooga and Martin campuses.

The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation had confirmed, as of Monday, that 61 meetings or student groups had canceled trips due to coronavirus, representing about $22 million in direct spending.

Since COVID-19 originated in China in December, it has morphed from an obscure and remote illness. Around the world, more than 129,000 people have contracted it and more than 4,700 have died. In Tennessee, seven people had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Thursday morning, according to ther Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The SEC tournament has become a mainstay of Nashville sports events and is under contract to remain here for all but one year between now and 2030. There’s an option to extend the deal through 2035.

Vanderbilt decided to cancel classes because several students returning to campus Monday from spring break “reported being exposed to an individual who tested positive” for COVID-19 that day, Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente wrote in an announcement to students Monday evening.

The university also suspended all university-sponsored non-athletics events and gatherings through April 30.

“We are also reviewing Vanderbilt and conference policies for fan attendance at athletics events and will update all in forthcoming messages,” Wente stated. Information and updates on COVID-19 can be found at vu.edu/coronavirus.

Convention and Visitors Corporation President and CEO Butch Spyridon said Monday there had been no talk of canceling the SEC basketball tournament, nor had there been discussion of playing the tournament without fans.

That changed Thursday when the SEC released the following statement:

“In light of recent developments beyond our control related to the spread of the coronavirus, including a recommendation from the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel, and after consultation with our member universities, we have made the difficult decision to hold the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville without spectators beginning with games of Thursday, March 12.Effective immediately, the policy will also apply to other SEC Championship events and on-campus regular season games scheduled through at least the end of March.

“After conferring with local and national health authorities, we remain confident in our ability to safeguard the health and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and other staff who will be participating as well as the limited number of family members and media who will be in attendance at the tournament. 

“We regret the inconvenience and disappointment this decision has caused our fans, especially those who have already travelled to Nashville for the tournament.”

The conference had said it planned to implement health precautions for the men’s games, most of which were also used during SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament the previous week. The preventive measures include greater availability and use of hand sanitizers throughout the venue, Bridgestone Arena, use of hospital-grade disinfectants to sanitize locker rooms before and after teams use the rooms, sanitization of game balls and team benches and increased signage to inform people of preventive action recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.

In another virus-related development, law firm Baker-Donelson has expanded its multidisciplinary task force focused on providing counsel to clients navigating the growing impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

The team began in January to monitor the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on global supply chains and employees overseas. It brings together legal professionals across multiple Baker Donelson practice groups with experience in the operational, legal, regulatory and governmental issues that will be vital to ensuring businesses implement a comprehensive approach to preparing for and responding to the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, the firm says.

The Baker Donelson Coronavirus Task Force is led by Nashville’s John Scannapieco, chair of the firm’s global business team, Martha Boyd, also from Nashville and a shareholder in the firm’s labor and employment group, and Alisa Chestler who works in Nashville and Washington D.C., chair of the firm’s data protection, privacy and cybersecurity team.

In addition to other firm leaders across multiple practices (including health care, construction, government contracts and hospitality), members of the task force include the former first general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a former chief of staff to the U.S. Senate majority leader, a former staff director of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, a former acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and a former senior level member of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

“As the coronavirus has continued to spread around the globe, its impact on businesses has increased as well,” Scannapieco says. “Everything from supply chains, contracts and employment issues to cybersecurity, insurance coverage matters and financial disclosures will be affected.

“In expanding this task force, we have combined the high-level experience these professionals bring to offer our clients expert counsel on whatever issue they might face related to COVID-19.”

Williamson Medical Center announced Monday it has put in place a “no visitor policy.” Only those who are seeking medical care will be allowed into the hospital. The emergency room is open to patients.

As of Tuesday, six people in Tennessee had tested positive for the virus. One of those was a 44-year-old man in Williamson County who was the first known case in the state.