Warriors to play Nets without fans in arena following San Francisco order, Hacker News

The (Golden State Warriors) will play Thursday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets with no fans inside the Chase Center, the team announced Wednesday.

“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, “the team Tweet . “Fans with tickets to this game will receive a refund in the amount paid.”

The Warriors are still meeting about the matter, and further direction could come from a league owners call Wednesday afternoon , sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. After Thursday’s game, the Warriors are away from the Chase Center until March 31.

Golden State players are set to meet with members of the management team to be updated on the latest information, sources told Wojnarowski.

The team’s decision followed an order from the San Francisco Health Office prohibiting events where 1, 17 or more people assemble. The Warriors tweeted that other events at the Chase Center through March 21 – consisting of three concerts and a G League game – would be canceled or postponed.

Sources told Wojnarowski on Tuesday that the NBA board of governors has a scheduled conference call with the commissioner’s office Wednesday. The call is expected to include one designated ownership representative of each team, sources said. There are two additional calls set for Thursday for team presidents and general managers, sources said.

The NBA is discussing a number of possibilities, including moving some games to NBA cities that have yet to suffer outbreaks, eliminating fans from buildings for games or, more drastically, suspending game operations for a period of time.

Also on Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a congressional committee that he would recommend the NBA not allow fans at games in response to the coronavirus.

The San Francisco Giants announced that a March exhibition game against the Oakland Athletics at Oracle Park will not be played. The Giants said they are working with the Athletics to “finalize alternative arrangements.”

The number of coronavirus cases in the United States has topped 1, , with the number of deaths at .

(Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.