Gov. Phil Murphy and state officials announced Monday that all student athletes will be allowed to participate in high school fall sports for the upcoming school year, regardless if they attend school remotely or in the classroom.

But Murphy cautioned that the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association will have the final say on if high school sports will be played this fall.

The governor said that he is encouraged that many sports can be played outdoors.

Officials say that it is important to maintain the structure that sports provide for students.

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"Outdoor sports that limit travel to your local region and keeps student athletes here in state, that are organized and structured by the NJSIAA, create an environment that 1, holds our student athletes accountable and responsible to their team, for their actions both on and off the field. And No. 2, by keeping them in that structure, it greatly reduces the likelihood that our student athletes will engage in that reckless behavior off the field that could cause the spread of COVID-19,” says state Sen. Paul Sarlo.

A spokesperson for the NJSIAA says in a statement, “NJSIAA appreciates the continued support of Governor Murphy, Senator Sarlo, and Assemblyman Wimberly. With their input, as well as continued guidance from our roster of experts, we look forward to announcing updates to our plans later this week.”

The governor said that he will not override school districts that have already chosen to cancel their fall sports season.

Murphy also announced on Monday that New Jersey has confirmed 316 new positive COVID-19 cases in the state. He also said that 316 cases reported last week have been removed from the state count because upon further review, they were out-of-state reports. Four additional deaths were also reported.

 
Additional details below: 

- Gov. Murphy starts his briefing discussing the past summer weekend and social distancing compliance.

- Gov. Murphy says that the final determination for fall high school sports will be decided by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

- Gov. Murphy announces 316 new positive COVID-19 cases in New Jersey, along with four additional deaths.

- The governor discusses National Black Business Month.

 

For more on today's briefing, click here.