Today, the WGPO Executive Board unanimously voted to suspend all remaining events including Circuit Championships for the 2020 season based on the recommendations of the CDC, WHO, and local health officials. The health and safety of our participants is and has always been our priority.
We are proud of all the hard work all of you have put in this season. While you may not get your championships performance, your perseverance and character will have to take center stage during this difficult time.
Please lift each other up and lean on your family and friends as this is unprecedented. We hope everyone stays healthy and will not let this ruin an otherwise successful season. Just because it was cut-short doesn’t mean it didn’t matter.=
~Susan Cruz, WGPO President
WGPO Coronavirus Update
Directors, Staff, Judges, School Administrators:
Winter Guard and Percussion of Oklahoma has been actively monitoring the potential impact of COVID-19 for the past several weeks. At this time, our events have not been impacted and will proceed as planned unless local or state health organizations suggest otherwise. Our show hosts are in contact with us as well regarding any updates from their administration about school closures that may affect our events. At the time of this email, no events have been canceled.
The best source of accurate information are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Both offer a wealth of information and recommendations and continue to provide regular updates as this rapidly evolving situation unfolds.
As we wrap up our competitive season, please continue to practice good public health hygiene. We recommend individuals and organizations take the following steps to protect themselves and our community at large. We have a role to play in limiting the impact.
Encourage participants to wash their hands with soap and water regularly.- Avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your elbow.
- Anyone who arrives at rehearsal or for a show that shows signs of illness or becomes ill should be sent home.
- Perform routine cleaning and sterilization of equipment, instruments, and other items handled by multiple people.
- Prevent all sharing of water bottles, food, makeup applicators, etc.
For additional recommendations, please view the CDC pages on personal prevention & treatment and business/organizations recommendations.
WGPO is committed to working with our event hosts and state and local health organizations and will follow all guidelines and recommendations from those entities to ensure participant safety and public health remain a priority. We will update all participants should the status of any of our events or operations change.