Athletes starting to gear up for the fall 2020 athletic seasons will not be starting offseason workouts for the foreseeable future.

Stanly County Schools Athletic Director Beverly Pennington issued a statement Friday regarding postponement of offseason workouts which were scheduled to start Monday.

The statement read as follows in its entirety:

“In consultation with local health officials and a thorough review of local COVID-19 data, Stanly County Schools has decided to postpone the restart of athletics. Stanly County Schools was scheduled to begin summer workouts with high school fall sports on Monday, July 6th. This date will now be rescheduled as soon as local data indicates it is safe to do so.

Our decision to push back the restart of athletics aligns with Governor Cooper’s directive for our state in light of the rising number of positive cases. In fact, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute, Stanly County ranks seventh in the state in the number of new cases in the last week.

We will continue to monitor the data in our community and consult with local health officials as we work to get our athletes back on the playing field.”

Pennington said the decision was made Friday morning and that SCS “will follow the guidance of the NCHSAA regarding the fall season.”

“After seeing the data in regards to where Stanly County ranks in our state in terms of new cases, and considering the advice of local health officials, I as a board member felt this decision was unfortunate, but necessary,” School Board Vice Chairman Ryan McIntyre said. “While I understand the importance of these workouts and know just how eager each of our student athletes must be to get back on the field, ensuring their health and safety is and will continue to remain my top priority.”

Note: This is a developing story and more reaction to it will be posted as it is available.