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For the remainder of the 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament, there will be no crowd noise, no bands playing in the background and no cheerleaders chanting on the baseline. The champion will be crowned in an empty arena.

The league announced Wednesday evening that fans will not be allowed to attend games in Bridgestone Arena starting Thursday in response to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

Only essential staff, limited family and credentialed media will be able to attend the games in Nashville, Tennessee, for the final four days following the recommendation of the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel related to conducting sporting events closed to the public.

The SEC's decision followed other Power 5 conferences.

NCAA president Mark Emmert announced the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments would be closed to fans out of concern over the virus, just hours prior.

With the growing rate of cases for COVID-19, conference officials determined that the safest course of action is to prevent a large number of fans from congregating. In the conference's press release, Sankey alerted schools and their fans that they would not be permitted in Bridgestone arena for the remainder of the contests.

"In light of recent developments beyond our control related to the spread of the coronavirus, including a recommendation from the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel, and after consultation with our member universities, we have made the difficult decision to hold the 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament in Nashville without spectators beginning with games of Thursday, March 12," Sankey said.

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The commissioner also added that the ban will last beyond the tournament, which would include on-campus sporting events like baseball and softball.

Effective immediately, the policy will also apply to other SEC Championship events and on-campus regular season games scheduled through at least the end of March," Sankey said.

Sankey concluded his statement by stating his confidence, despite the backlash that may come with it, in the SEC's decision to withhold spectators.

"After conferring with local and national health authorities, we remain confident in our ability to safeguard the health and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches and other staff who will be participating as well as the limited number of family members and media who will be in attendance at the tournament," Sankey said. "We regret the inconvenience and disappointment this decision has caused our fans, especially those who have already traveled to Nashville for the tournament.

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Sumner Martin | Assistant Sports Editor

Harrison Tarr | Sports Writer

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Fans not allowed for remainder of SEC Tournament, on-campus sporting events due to coronavirus concerns - The Auburn Plainsman

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It's hard to remain calm and rational in a time that seems to be careening wildly out of control. Were continually overwhelmed with negative news. We are subjected to panic-inducing worries over the coronavirus, arguments about which politician will wreak more havoc, the deteriorating economy and its impact on your job and the frighteningly plummeting stock market.

Understandably, you just want to pull the covers over your head and stay in bed. Of course, you cant because you have a family to look after. Youre now expected to show up to work feeling sharp and happy. For most people, the reality is that we constantly face a fight everyday against our fears, anxieties and worries.

You cant change the events of the world, but you can change how you think about them. You need to focus on whats within your control. Keeping a positive mindset, having a thick skin and resisting the urge to simply give up is essential to getting through tough times.

Its easy to blame your annoying, overbearing boss and insipid, backstabbing co-workers for your misery at work.

Youve switched jobs hoping that the grass would be greener on the other side, except now the new lawn is brown and the trees are barren. Nothing has changed. Youre still unhappy. Your boss is a jerk. Your co-workers have cliques and you dont feel like you belong.

You can point to everyone and everything as the cause of your career stagnation. Some of the reasons may be valid. However, if this continues happening for a couple of years at various companies, you may want to rethink your blame game.

Its possible that just maybe a new job isnt the answer to your unhappiness at work. You may want to look inwardly. Perhaps, youre the source of your own misery.

Its a very common thing. You get stuck in a downward spiral of negativity. Your boss angrily lectures you about something stupid, you missed out on a promotion, less deserving people are bypassing you and on the fast track toward success and a sure-thing interview didnt work out. This puts you in a negative headspace. You start feeling bitter and resentful. You take it out on everyone around you. After a while, theyre tired of hearing your complaints and move on.

Its evident to everyoneexcept youthat you are in a career, mental and emotional tailspin. Before you start looking for another new job or try to obtain a promotion within your company, you need to engage in some cold, hard and critical introspection. Look at what you are doing. Analyze your actions, thoughts and beliefs. Start deeply considering what youre thinking and doing.

Heres a checklist to help you get started:

If you feel and act this way, its time to break the cycle. Youve already taken the first step by reading this piece. It all starts with recognizing that youve created harmful habits and thought patterns.

Tune out all of the noise. Stop watching so much television, especially angry cable news that stirs up fear and rage. Put down your phone and detox from social media. It riles you up and also makes you feel inadequate compared to what everyone else is supposedly doing.

Start replacing these self-defeating thoughts and actions with positive, self-affirmative actions. Once you remove toxic thoughts and behaviors, you can really begin to drive your career forward. Then, there will be nothing stopping you from reaching your goals and succeeding

Read more:
Fight Back Against Toxic Thoughts And Self-Defeating Actions That Hold Back Your Career - Forbes

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The coronavirus outbreak has been labelled a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of cases outside China had increased 13-fold in two weeks. He said he was "deeply concerned" by "alarming levels of inaction".

A pandemic is a disease that is spreading in multiple countries around the world at the same time.

Hours later Italy said all shops except food shops and pharmacies would close.

Announcing the toughest lockdown seen yet in Europe, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said bars, hairdressers, restaurants and cafes that could not guarantee a metre's distance between customers and non-essential company departments would also close.

The impact of the tightened restrictions - in force from Thursday until 25 March - on the rate of new coronavirus cases would take a couple of weeks to be seen, Mr Conte said.

Dr Tedros said that calling the outbreak a pandemic did not mean the WHO was changing its advice about what countries should do.

He called on governments to change the course of the outbreak by taking "urgent and aggressive action".

"Several countries have demonstrated that this virus can be suppressed and controlled," he said.

"The challenge for many countries who are now dealing with large clusters or community transmission is not whether they can do the same - it's whether they will."

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Governments had to "strike a fine balance between protecting health, minimising disruption and respecting human rights".

"We're in this together to do the right things with calm and protect the citizens of the world. It's doable," he said.

His appeal was followed by the several other countries announcing ever more stringent restrictions to try to prevent the virus taking a hold.

Denmark - which has 514 confirmed cases, up 10-fold since Monday, but no deaths so far - is to close all schools and universities from Friday and will send home all public sector employees who are not in critical roles in the coming days. The government also urged the cancellation of events with more than 100 people attending.

Meanwhile India has suspended most visas for foreigners until 15 April and Guatemala is banning European citizens from entering from Thursday.

The country has already closed schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the country.

It has more than 12,000 confirmed cases and a death toll of 827. Nearly 900 people with the virus in Italy were in intensive care, the WHO's emergencies head Michael Ryan said.

Dr Ryan said the situation in Iran - where the official figures are 354 deaths among 9,000 cases - was "very serious". The WHO had sent 40,000 testing kits to Iran but there was still a shortage of ventilators and oxygen.

"Iran and Italy are suffering now but I guarantee you other countries will be in that situation very soon," he said.

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Earlier, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that up to 70% of the country's population - some 58 million people - could contract the coronavirus. She said since there was no known cure, the focus would fall on slowing the spread of the virus. "It's about winning time," she said.

Some German virologists dispute the high figure. Former federal government adviser on disease control, Prof Alexander Kekul, told German media he saw a worst case scenario of 40,000 cases.

The number of confirmed cases in Germany has risen to 1,567 from 1,296, the Koch institute for infectious diseases said.

By Philippa Roxby, BBC Health

The use of the p-word by the WHO to describe the global spread of this new coronavirus is not a huge surprise.

Up until now, it has talked merely of the "threat" or the "potential" for a pandemic. But with cases in more than 100 countries, and increasing numbers not linked to travel, the language has changed.

The WHO no longer 'declares' a pandemic the way it used to, so this is as official as it gets. Yet this doesn't mean the pandemic cannot be controlled, it explains.

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It's a call to action and a plea for all countries not to give up, no matter how large the number of cases.

Practically, countries are being told to continue to do what they have been advised to do. That means some may have to step up their response.

But the WHO is not changing what it's doing or the threat level of the virus.

What the use of the word "pandemic" highlights is the importance of countries around the world taking urgent action to respond to their own outbreaks - because now it's everyone's responsibility to turn the tide on the virus.

France said there had been 48 deaths in the country, an increase of 15 from Tuesday. There are 2,281 confirmed cases. Coronavirus-linked restrictions have been extended to two more areas, France's health minister said.

In the western US, Washington state is banning some large gatherings in certain areas and has told all school districts to prepare for possible closures in the coming days. The governor of Seattle's King County said he expected a serious coronavirus outbreak within weeks.

In the eastern US, New York's governor announced that troops would be sent into New Rochelle, in an attempt to contain an outbreak of the virus, as the total number of US cases passed 1,000 on Wednesday.

A one-mile (1.6km) containment zone was in force around the town north of Manhattan. Some individuals have been quarantined.

Music festivals and other major events in the US, including Coachella festival in California, have been cancelled or postponed. The E3 gaming show set for Los Angeles in June is among those cancelled.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled worldwide as airlines struggle to cope with a slump in demand.

A UK health minister, Nadine Dorries, said she had tested positive for coronavirus and was self-isolating at home.

Several countries - including Sweden and Bulgaria, as well as the Republic of Ireland - have recorded their first deaths, while the number of confirmed cases in Qatar jumped from 24 to 262.

China - where the virus was first detected - has seen a total of 80,754 confirmed cases and 3,136 deaths. But it recorded its lowest number of new infections, just 19, on Tuesday.

What are your experiences relating to the coronavirus outbreak? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

Link:
Coronavirus confirmed as pandemic by World Health Organization - BBC News

The new coronavirus has appeared in the Lehigh Valley, one of more than 40 cases identified in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The virus that causes COVID-19 has been deemed a global pandemic infecting more than 125,000 people worldwide and resulting in 4,600 deaths.

Dont panic. Federal and state health officials say there are common-sense steps that with diligence can limit the spread of the disease locally. Here youll find information on where coronavirus is in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, symptoms and precautions for COVID-19, and more. Follow the links for more.

The coronavirus. (Centers for Disease Control)

A coronavirus is a kind of virus that commonly circulates among people, like the one that causes the common cold. This, however, is a novel coronavirus, one not previously identified, according to the CDC.

The new coronavirus causes COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019. There currently is no vaccine or treatment.

As of March 12, 21 patients have tested positive for the new coronavirus in seven Pennsylvania counties: Bucks, Delaware, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Wayne. Most of the cases are in Montgomery County, south of the Lehigh Valley. (This map will be updated as more cases are announced.)

No deaths have been reported in Pennsylvania.

The Northampton County COVID-19 case is an adult and in isolation to prevent spread of the disease, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has confirmed. The department has not been more specific with any of the COVID-19 cases in the state, citing patient confidentiality.

As of Thursday, at least three school Lehigh Valley school districts have said they have patients or employees being tested -- Allentown, Whitehall-Coplay and Easton Arts Academy.

In New Jersey, at least 23 patients have tested positive for the coronavirus and one has died.

Though Pennsylvania has not issued any formal recommendations for events to be canceled or schools to close, some individual organizations and campuses are doing so on their own.

Here youll find a list of Lehigh Valley advisories, closing and cancellations. The list is being updated as we get more information.

Fever, cough and shortness of breath may appear up to two weeks after exposure to someone with the coronavirus, according to the CDC. Coronavirus symptoms could be mild and are different from the flu, allergies or common cold.

If you think you have coronavirus symptoms, call ahead to your doctor. Not everyone will receive a coronavirus test a patient must meet specific criteria.

After a positive test, state health officials will reach out to anyone who has been in contact with that person to see if they also need testing.

This undated photo provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows CDCs laboratory test kit for the new coronavirus.CDC via AP

To protect yourself from the coronavirus, the CDC recommends washing your hands often and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

To protect others, do what you normally should during flu season: Stay home if youre not feeling well. Cover coughs and sneezes. Regularly disinfect frequently touched surfaces like phones and doorknobs. Wear a facemask if you are sick it can prevent the spread of viruses from someone who is ill, but it wont prevent a healthy person from contracting it.

Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure reminded local residents to limit interactions with vulnerable populations: the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions such as heart disease or diabetes and people with compromised immune systems.

Microbiologist Xiugen Zhang runs a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test at the Connecticut State Public Health Laboratory, Monday, March 2, 2020, in Rocky Hill, Conn. The Connecticut Department of Public Health has received federal approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to run diagnostic testing for the coronavirus at the department's lab in Rocky Hill. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)AP

As more coronavirus cases appear, health officials are placing those with COVID-19 into isolation, either at a hospital or at home.

That is different from a quarantine, which is where people who have been exposed to the virus are separated and their movements restricted to see if they become sick, as the Pennsylvania Department of Health recently explained.

Isolation, on the other hand, is what happens to people who are already sick so they dont spread the disease to others. If isolated at home, the patient can still go outside but is advised to avoid close contact with others like shopping.

Health officials recommend stocking up a two-week supply of food, medicine and water in case of a 14-day quarantine. Residents should also have cleaning products on-hand and arrange for caregivers and extra medication as needed.

Students walk along Marshall Street on the Syracuse University campus Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Classes will move online after spring break next week to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com

State health officials advise against relying on social media for coronavirus updates. Instead, consult your state health department at health.pa.gov or http://www.nj.gov/health and the CDC website.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley: What to know | Symptoms and treatment for COVID-19; Pennsylvania coronaviru - lehighvalleylive.com

I think it's safe to say that by about 2010, email marketing was a full-fledged marketing tactic. If your business wasn't using it to engage with consumers, then you may have been missing out on critical new lead opportunities. Today, I believe the golden egg is A/B testing. If youre not A/B testing, you may already be behind your direct competitors.

A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a marketing experiment where two different versions of a campaign or a piece of content are tested on your audience to discern which performs better. In other words, version A is shown to some of your audience and version B is shown to the others.

One of the things we love most about A/B testing as a marketing tactic is that it doesnt discriminate it can work for any business. It doesnt matter what industry your business is in. It also doesnt matter whether your business is B2C or B2B or whether you offer products or services you can use A/B testing to learn more about your audience and make changes so that youre reaching them in the most effective way.

When To Use A/B Testing

When is the best time to A/B test? The short answer is always. The more realistic answer is whenever you can.

With the chaos that is managing a business and dealing with many moving parts, it may be unrealistic to commit to A/B testing on everything you put out. While conducting continual A/B testing is ideal, its important to set goals and be intentional about your testing.

Here are the pieces of content that I recommend definitely A/B testing:

Emails

Webpages

Facebook ads

Social media posts

Blog titles

Calls to action

You also may want to conduct A/B testing to determine the optimal length of content and the best time to publish it.

Essentially, you can split test everything that your target audience sees from your business, and the more you can do so, the better grip youll likely have on what engages your audience the most.

The Main Benefits Of A/B Testing

1. Improved Content Engagement

Each time you A/B test and then use those results to inform the decision you make for future content and campaigns, youre making smart improvements to your content that are proven to garner more engagement.

For example, our team A/B tested the graphics for a Facebook ad for one of our multifamily apartment community clients. The results showed us which image style and coloring was most effective on our audience. Version B of the ad graphic garnered over 2,000 more clicks and had 20% more engagement. Since then, we've switched the style of images to be similar to version B and have seen a steady increase in engagement with our Facebook ads.

2. Reduced Bounce Rates

If you notice that visitors are leaving, or bouncing, quickly after arriving on your website, then you can use A/B testing on the copy, blog post headlines, images and more to see what best catches the eyes of your visitors. Ultimately, this can help you keep visitors on your website longer and reduce bounce rates.

3. Increased Conversion Rates

With A/B testing, you can figure out what kind of content converts more website visitors into buyers. With this marketing tactic, its extremely easy to see what works with your audience and what doesnt.

How To Conduct Efficient A/B Testing

Step 1: Pick one variable to test.

We've found that A/B testing works best if only one element is different for each version. You could use a different image for a social media post but keep the caption and URL the same, or use a different headline for a blog post but keep the image and body copy the same.

Step 2: Divide your audience equally and randomly when possible.

You may not always have control over the audience who views your A/B testing content, but with content like emails, you can control and split the audience evenly. Our team uses marketing automation software, which automatically splits traffic between the different versions, for our A/B testing.

Step 3: Test versions simultaneously.

You may not be able to fully trust the results if you test two different versions at different points in time. Unless the variable you're testing is posting time, keep the test versions on the same schedule.

Step 4: Give tests time to run.

Allow your tests to run for enough time to produce useful results. For example, no matter what content we're A/B testing, the minimum amount of time we run a test is a month.

Step 5: Measure your results.

There are many metrics you can use to gauge how your content performs for instance, bounce rate, open rate, exit rate, engagement and number of conversions. Choose one or two that align best with your main goal, and see which version performs better. In our experience, when it comes to A/B testing email subject lines, the open rate is a helpful metric. With website copy, weve found that measuring bounce rate and exit rate tell us whether our target audience is engaged.

Further, determine whether the results are statistically significant (i.e., large enough to warrant a change).

Step 6: Take action based on results.

Use what you learn even if its that your original content performed better than any of your other tested versions. As well, dont make only one change; apply what you learn to multiple facets of your content.

Not much is free in the marketing and advertising world, but we've found that A/B testing is one of the most cost-effective solutions. The insights and knowledge you can gain about your audience's preferences are invaluable, and you can use them across all levels of the content you produce.

Pay attention to your results, and weave A/B testing into the fabric of your business.

See the article here:
A/B Testing: The Benefits And How To Use It Efficiently - Forbes