Coronavirus has had a huge impact on all areas of life, including education. The notorious debate on how educational instruction can proceed with the barrier that this illness creates has been very controversial. School in general touches all aspects, including academics, sports, the arts, and more.

With this virus being transmitted from person to person, one can think of how hard sports will be due to the majority of them revolving around contact. Many states have taken to this issue and Maryland is not an exception.

In Howard County, the start of the academic school year is fully online, the second semester, however, is predicted to be in person as soon as February 1, 2021. The news of sports had been postponed by the MPSSAA (Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association) due to COVID concerns.

In recent news, according to The Baltimore Sun, sports will not be returning to Howard County before December. Superintendent Dr. Martirano stated that coaches and players in Howard County will remain virtual in their interactions for the forseeable future.

Other counties in Maryland have also taken similar actions. In Montgomery County, fall sports have also been put on hold.

While Governor Hogan gave the green light for schools to return, the county was apprehensive to proceed. Instead, they said they would be following officials and their instructions as well as creating and following a COVID handbook. There have been no official updates about when athletics will begin again in Howard County.