Butler County's Special Olympians will have to wait out fears over the national coronavirus outbreak.

“It's heartbreaking,” said Mary Pitzer, manager of the Butler County Special Olympics.

Butler County's program received word from its statewide parent organization.

Pitzer said the news was broken to her and the county's floor hockey team in a terrible fashion.

“Over the weekend, we were supposed to travel to York, Pa. We all got loaded on the bus and started down Route 8, and then we got notified that the tournament in York was canceled,” Pitzer said.

Pitzer said she had the tough job of telling the athletes about the cancellation.

“That's the only competition they get for the last four months of practicing,” Pitzer said. “It's very devastating for them.”

Pennsylvania Special Olympics President and CEO Matthew B. Aaron sent an email Monday.

Aaron's announcement said Special Olympics Pennsylvania was suspending all sports training and competition activities and other activities involving its athletes through March 31.

He said the situation will be reevaluated.

In the email, Aaron said the decision was made because one coronavirus case has been tied to a U.S. Special Olympics athlete, and there is a heightened risk for people with intellectual disabilities and the elderly.

“This decision was made carefully based on advice received from Special Olympics Inc. after they consulted with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reviewed the latest guidance from the World Health Organization,” he said.

Pitzer said the shutdown will affect multiple Butler County teams, including floor hockey, bowling, swimming and basketball, among others.

“Our basketball program was supposed to start tonight (Tuesday,)” she said. “This puts a hold on that.”

Pitzer said she understands and respects the reasoning behind the decision, even if COVID-19 hasn't reached Western Pennsylvania yet.

Pitzer said she hopes the athletes will remain positive throughout the shutdown. “Consider it a vacation,” she said she has told some of the Olympians.