Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, quarantine numbers and out of an abundance of caution, Lafayette High School has shut down all athletics through the rest of the month.

Lafayette athletics director Greg Lewis confirmed the decision with the EAGLE on Wednesday. Teams can resume practicing on Nov. 30 and games can resume on Dec. 1.

“We wanted to wait through the day today to see what happened and if we have anymore cases, which of course there are,” Lewis said. “We’re just going to take it easy for a little bit and see if we can get this stuff out of here.”

The decision to shut down the entire athletic department comes off the heels of Lafayette’s girls basketball team going into quarantine on Monday and the football team having to forfeit their first round playoff game against Neshoba Central on Tuesday.

Soccer and basketball are in the early stages of their seasons. Basketball had only two games scheduled for the rest of the month, while soccer loses six matches that were scheduled through the month.

Neither teams were scheduled to begin region games until at least December. Basketball loses their Nov. 19 games at New Albany, while the girls basketball team loses their game at TCPS on Nov. 17. Soccer loses matches against Grenada (Nov. 12), Amory (Nov. 14), Mooreville (Nov. 19), Brandon (Nov. 23) and TCPS (Nov. 30). The boys soccer team also loses a standalone match against Vardaman on Nov. 16.

“That’s the reason we felt like it would be a great time to do it (now),” Lewis said. “I feel like we’re doing the right thing, anyway. As much as it hurts with football and these other ones, too, I still think we’re making the right decision for our kids, faculty, staff and everybody else.”

Both basketball and soccer are set to resume games on Dec. 1. Basketball will host North Panola for their home opener and boys soccer will travel to Grenada.