Dear ATA Community,

I am sure you are concerned about the COVID 19 virus pandemic which is now in it’s infant stage in the United States.  Italy is a few weeks ahead of the United States in the virus spread.  Here is an article from The Lancet. And here’s another article regarding COVID 19 that has some really good information as well as links to other articles which you should read.

Over the past two weeks, I have been in regular communication with Dr Daniel Roe, who is an Austin ER doc and on the front line of this pandemic.  
His advice is to create as much social distancing as possible.  We are in a position to alter the impact of the COVID 19 virus on our health system by social distancing.  

Everything I am reading says we are in a cusp moment over the next two weeks that could make or break our health care system’s ability to handle the people who are hit hardest by getting the virus. I think about my two older brothers who have health issues and I think of Hayden Hobbick who has a compromised immune system because of losing his spleen in his recent automobile accident.  I feel a strong level of responsibility to make decisions that insure our health care system can adequately manage the Tsunami of sick people that is headed it’s way.

Here are our initial responses:

– We are cancelling our morning camp and afternoon Academy practice for the following week.  The weather forecast is for wet weather and that would mean having kids inside which is a good environment to have an asymptomatic kid with COVID 19 infect quite a few others.  We must do things to flatten the curve.

– We will take this week to see how much spread of the virus there is then make a decision on the following week. 

– We are working on private lesson protocols which would include keeping 10-12 feet apart and no handling of tennis balls. We encourage kids to contact their primary coaches to do private lessons. We encourage families to play tennis together and our facility will be open for your use.

– We will continue with aggressive, multiple times per day cleaning of surfaces.

We encourage each of you to educate yourself concerning the following, all of which are explained in the article above: what it means that COVID 19 is a novel virus, understand the idea of exponential spread (click here for an explainer), understand  the concept of personal risk vs. systemic risk, understand the idea of mitigation and how social isolation impacts the spread of the virus.

This is an unprecedented time.  We are living through a moment in time that will be captured in the future history books.  Let us all be aware of our responsibilities to the communities we serve.

Respectfully,
Jack Newman
CEO
Austin Tennis Academy