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DOWAGIAC — One week into preparation for the high school sports season, the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the State of Michigan have shut down schools and sports in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Late Thursday night, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that all schools would close until at least April 5. That would include spring break for schools on the east side of the state. On the west side, schools will be starting spring break on April 6.

That is why schools in southwest Michigan have announced they will be closed through at least April 13.

Although the MHSAA has not officially announced that the winter sports season has been canceled, it seems as if it would be hard to restart the remaining state tournaments and get spring sports practice and competition back on track.

Locally, the announcement by the MHSAA and the state means no more contact between coaches and players.

“All organized practices [no matter where they occur] and conditioning shall cease immediately,” said Niles athletic director Jeff Upton. “Niles athletic facilities shall close until school resumes April 13. These are in unprecedented times, and we want to take all precautions that are necessary to help flatten the curve and resume normal activities.”

Brandywine, Cassopolis, Buchanan, Dowagiac and Edwardsburg all issued similar statements through letters or announcements on social media.

Not only can athletes not use athletic facilities, but they also may not interact with their coaches, per the MHSAA.

“While subject to change, we expect Niles coaches will have no contact with athletes over this time, and tryouts and practices will not resume before April 13,” Upton said. “As it currently stands, the first potential date available for games/meets would be April 17. We encourage everyone to eat healthy and stay safe.”

MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl said that suspending practices is two-fold.

“By suspending all sports activities for the next three weeks, we are taking an additional step to maintain safety and minimize risk first, and also keep a level playing field for our schools and teams during this time of uncertainty,” Uyl said. “A number of schools across the state already were making this decision, and setting this as the standard across our membership is appropriate, especially given the quick pace with which this situation is continuing to evolve. Given the rapid, fast-moving and unprecedented events of this week, the MHSAA will use the time during this all-sport suspension of activities to evaluate all options and next steps, which will be shared with schools in a timely manner.”

Dowagiac officially canceled all of its sporting events scheduled through April 1. Other district leaders said they will deal with cancellation or rescheduling events on a case-by-case basis.