As the coronavirus outbreak continues to affect public events in the United States, the NBA is taking measures to minimize the safety risks at its games. As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Golden State Warriors will play their home games at the Chase Center without fans for the foreseeable future. The decision follows the San Francisco Health Office banning public gatherings of more than 1,000 people as the Bay Area continues to combat coronavirus.
The Golden State Warriors are planning to play foreseeable home games without fans in observance of the San Francisco Health Office's order prohibiting group of events of 1K or more from assembling, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2020
Due to escalating concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, and in consultation with the City and County of San Francisco, tomorrow night’s game vs. the Nets at Chase Center will be played without fans. Fans with tickets to this game will receive a refund in the amount paid. pic.twitter.com/DMpO71ocvg
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 11, 2020
The idea of barring fans from NBA games has been heavily rumored as the fears surrounding the coronavirus have increased, with the league more concretely presenting their own protocol for the illness a few days ago.
As the Warriors will now be the first team during the health crisis to play their home games without fans, more will surely follow as a preventative measure and could signal the impact the coronavirus may have on the upcoming NCAA March Madness tournament.
