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NATCHEZ — The Natchez Adams School District announced Saturday via social media that the district is canceling all sports activities from June 22 to June 28 due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I chose to postpone practices for all of our sports this week as we look at all of the procedures that we have been doing and make sure we are covering all of the bases,” said Alphaka Moore, Natchez Adams School District Athletics Director. “We just want to protect kids from the spread of the coronavirus. The more people are active and around other people, the more likely it is to spread the virus. We just wanted to make sure we are covering all of the bases and use the time while the kids are not there to check everything that we need to as well.”

Moore said she is meeting with the Natchez High School football coaches on Wednesday afternoon in a closed meeting to discuss the pros and cons of continuing with practices.

“Practices will possibly resume next week,” Moore said. “We just want to make sure we are taking precautions and making sure the guidelines are in place and are being followed effectively.”

The Natchez High School Bulldogs are three weeks into the summer season for football. The official start of Mississippi High School Activities Association football season begins on Aug. 3.

Randy Craft, Natchez High School head football coach, said it was a good idea for Moore to cancel practices this week.

“With the CDC guidelines we have currently, it would create a lot of conflict for different sports and put our athletes in a position where we cannot get the best out of this week,” Craft said. “In a sense, canceling practices slows us down but we have to keep the players’ safety in our best interests.”

With the cancelation of practices, Lionell Minor a senior on the Bulldogs football team, said he is going to keep running and working out by himself like he did before the beginning of the summer pre-season workouts.

Minor said he is disappointed about practices being canceled this week because this year is his senior year.

“Then you have to look on the bright side and know they [the athletic department] are trying to keep us safe,” Minor said. “To all of the athletes, all you have to do is keep working by yourself and wait.”

Adams County Christian School met at 1 p.m. Monday to discuss their plans for practices this week, and David King, head football coach for ACCS, said practices will continue.

Chuck Darbonne, head coach of the Cathedral High School Green Wave, said the Green Wave are continuing to hold workouts.

Vidalia High School, Delta Charter School and Ferriday High School have not canceled athletic practices this week.