SALT LAKE CITY — As the threat of the coronavirus intensifies, sports teams and leagues around the world have been faced with the question of what their part is in preventing the spread of the virus, with the idea of playing games without fans in the stands a realistic possibility.
It’s now a reality in San Francisco, with the Golden State Warriors announcing Wednesday that Thursday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets “will be played without fans.”
The NBA has yet to issue a league-wide policy (owners and general managers are reportedly set to meet in a series of conference calls on Wednesday and Thursday). The Warriors announced that all events at Chase Center, their new arena, are canceled or postponed through March 21 after the San Francisco Health Office ordered on Wednesday that no gatherings of more than 1,000 people will be permitted in the city for the next two weeks.
That will include their Thursday night game against the Brooklyn Nets. The Warriors will then be on the road through March 21, with their next home game being March 25.
The Utah Jazz do not have any remaining games scheduled against the Warriors this season.
On Monday, the Mercury-News in San Jose reported the first coronavirus death in Santa Clara County, which led the county to ban gatherings of more than 1,000 people, and San Francisco followed suit Wednesday.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland on Monday after 21 people on the ship contracted the virus.