Warriors’ game against Nets will be closed to fans after coronavirus ban
San Francisco mayor London Breed announced on Wednesday that she is temporarily banning all large group events that bring more than 1,000 people together in an effort to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Press release from San Francisco mayor London Breed on the banning of events larger than 1,000 people, including Warriors games:
“Today I spoke with the Warriors to discuss the steps were taking to cancel large events and they are in support of our efforts.” pic.twitter.com/60VE3an23m
— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) March 11, 2020
Marc Stein of the New York Times confirmed that the announcement means the Warriors will not be permitted to allow fans inside the Chase Center, beginning with Thursday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Warriors, league sources say, will be directed to play host to the Nets on Thursday night at Chase Center in a game CLOSED to fans
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 11, 2020
The Warriors almost certainly will not be the only NBA team to have to close their doors to fans. The Seattle Mariners are also exploring options for their home games, as the Mayor of Washington has announced a ban on gatherings of 250 or more people at once.
Statement from the Seattle Mariners on Governor Jay Inslee’s community strategies to combat the spread of COVID19:
Read: https://t.co/cfFZntQA5b pic.twitter.com/yZNWvy5Gx3
— MarinersPR (@MarinersPR) March 11, 2020
Several NBA players have said they do not want to play games in front of empty arenas, and one superstar said Tuesday he feels the league should allow fans to decide if they want to assume the risk of attending a game. However, the local ban takes the decision out of the NBA’s hands.
