In a major move, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced on Wednesday afternoon that the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments will be played without fans in attendance amidst concern over the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak, outside of family and essential staff. Emmert says the decision was made after consulting with medical advisors and the NCAA Board of Governors.
This is particularly interesting for Michigan State and Big Ten schools because the Big Ten Tournament kicks off today and fans will be allowed to attend.
Here is the original statement from the NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel:
“The NCAA COVID-19 Advisory Panel recognizes the fluidity of COVID-19 and its impact on hosting events in a public space. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the United States, and behavioral risk mitigation strategies are the best option for slowing the spread of this disease. This is especially important because mildly symptomatic individuals can transmit COVID-19. Given these considerations, coupled with a more unfavorable outcome of COVID-19 in older adults – especially those with underlying chronic medical conditions – we recommend against sporting events open to the public. We do believe sport events can take place with only essential personnel and limited family attendance, and this protects our players, employees, and fans.”
