Update 11:45 a.m.: The Big Ten is walking back on its initial decision to cancel all sports-related activities for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year a bit.

The conference announced that all organized team activities will be suspended until April 6, but re-evaluated at that time. It previously announced a cancellation of all spring sports for the remainder of this academic year, but the conference’s moratorium on all recruiting activities for the foreseeable future still stands.

“The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety, and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans, and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus,” the conference said in its statement.

Original Story: First, they requested students studying abroad in affected countries to return home. Then, they canceled spring break trips. Then, they moved classes online. Then, they said no fans could attend sporting events. Then, a conference tournament was canceled. And now, sports are done for the rest of the school year at Penn State and across the Big Ten.

Just after the NCAA announced it was canceling all remaining winter and spring tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Big Ten followed suit by canceling all sports through the end of the current school year, the conference announced in a release. A moratorium has also been placed on all recruiting activities for the foreseeable future. 

The Big Ten, which canceled its basketball tournament earlier in the day, is the latest conference to cancel sports for the remainder of the school year, following the Ivy League and Patriot League, which initially generated plenty of criticism when doing so. The ACC, SEC, and Pac-12 have all suspended athletics for the time being.

“The main priority of the Big Ten Conference continues to be the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media as we continue to monitor all developing and relevant information on the COVID-19 virus,” the release said.

Suspending all sports is the latest precaution taken by the powers that be as the coronavirus continues to spread across the world. It follows a series of changes at the university, conference, and NCAA levels, which have impacted study abroad programs, in-person classes, and pretty much every corner of every university community around the country.