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Sunkist Family,
The health and wellness of our swimmers and their families is of
our number one priority. We are staying abreast of the
current data, research, and recommendations from medical and
governmental authorities, then analyzing this information to make
decisions in the best interest of our families and staff. Based on
this data, along with the MS Swimming recommendation of a 14-day
freeze on all activities, it has been determined that
Sunkist Swim Team will not hold practice the weeks of March
15 - March 29. We have committed to weekly reassessing the
local and national landscape and providing timely updates to our
community.
As partners in such a team environment we understand that we are a
community of independent thinkers. We believe this is in part what
makes our team so special, but we also acknowledge this reality
likely creates a diverse set of opinions about how to exercise
wisdom that finds the balance between caution and hysteria. We have
provided a summary and list of resources that we believe calls us
to take this conservative approach. I encourage all of you to take
time to arm yourselves with the most current research in efforts to
make informed decisions for your families that extend beyond
Sunkist Swim Team.
RATIONALE & RESEARCH
CLOSURE & SOCIAL DISTANCING
While the decision to postpone on-campus classes, meetings, and all
extra-curricular programs should not come out of fear, paranoia, or
coercion to conform to societal norms, a quick dive into the
available data and research reveals the threat of COVID-19
(Coronavirus) extends far beyond student -to- student transmission.
Scientific data from countries weeks ahead of the United States and
Center for Disease Control (CDC) historical research from the 1918
Spanish flu, show that extreme social distancing is proven to
mitigate and slow transmission of the virus. Since we have passed
the point of containment, social distancing will help curb the
severe increase in transmission and fatalities thus effectively
spreading out its acute impact, which threatens to overwhelm the
healthcare system. Reports from Italy, where the social distancing
strategy was not employed, describe such an overwhelmed healthcare
system where caregivers are being forced to ration care, ultimately
determining the fate of infected patients. Extreme social
distancing has been scientifically proven to help mitigate the
transmission of viruses reaching pandemic levels such as COVID-19,
and its practice is an act of humanity that requires us all to see
beyond our current state of health - and beyond our potential
presuppositions regarding hysteria - and place the needs of others
before ourselves.
One Simple Chart Shows How Social Distancing Saves Lives https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/one-simple-chart-explains-how-social-distancing-saveslives
A Coronavirus Cautionary Tale from Italy: Don’t Do What We
Did https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/13/opinion/coronavirus-cautionary-tale-italy-dont-do-what-we-did/
Social Distancing: This is Not a Snow Day https http://://medium.com/@ariadnelabs/social-distancing-this-is-not-a-snow-day-ac21d7fa78b4
How Does the Coronavirus End? https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/6/21161234/coronavirus-covid-19-science-outbreak-ends-endemic- vaccine
What Is Social Distancing and How Can It Slow the Spread of
COVID-19? https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/13/what-is-socialdistancing/ Coronavirus:
Why You Must Act Now https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca
*Information on this page is provided
by Saint Augustine Board of Directors. The statement includes a
list of recent resources supporting the decision to suspend school
operations and practice social distancing.
Thanks,
Coach Mixon
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