Warriors Become First N.B.A. Team to Bar Fans Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

“We would recommend that there not be large crowds,” Dr. Fauci said. “If that means not having any people in the audience when the N.B.A. plays, so be it. But as a public health official, anything that has large crowds is something that would give a risk to spread.”

There had been mounting public pressure on the Warriors to make such a move. On Saturday, San Francisco officials prohibited “non-essential group events” at city-owned facilities for two weeks because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Despite those warnings, the Warriors welcomed fans to their home game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. But the game was sparsely attended, and the Warriors lost, 131-107.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement on Wednesday that she had consulted with Warriors officials to “discuss the steps we’re taking to cancel large events and they are in support of our efforts.”

After the Warriors play the Nets on Thursday, their next five games are on the road. Their next home game is on March 25 against the Atlanta Hawks.

This is a developing story.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/sports/basketball/warriors-coronavirus-fans.html