Houston Rockets CEO Tad Brown says the team believes its games should still be played amid the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak in the United States, but he didn’t rule out further precautionary measures — including the possibility of games being played without fans.
Brown noted that many precautions had already been taken, such as limiting locker room access to only essential personnel; increased cleaning throughout Toyota Center; additional sanitization stations in the building; and new signage regarding proper hygiene practices.
“We’re trying to err on the side of caution, but also operate with common sense,” said Brown, who explained that the Rockets are consulting with numerous health-care professionals and experts.
#Rockets CEO Tad Brown (@tadbbrown) explains the new Coronavirus precautions at Toyota Center:
“We’re trying to err on the side of caution, but also operate with common sense.”
The team is regularly communicating with the NBA and numerous health experts about its policies. pic.twitter.com/PSaelQuv0J
— SportsTalk 790 (@SportsTalk790) March 10, 2020
However, more drastic measures haven’t been ruled out for the weeks ahead. ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski reported early Wednesday that the NBA is discussing options such as eliminating fans from buildings for games, or even suspending game operations for a period of time.
A conference call is scheduled for Wednesday involving all NBA owners, while two more conference calls will be held Thursday for team presidents and general managers, ESPN reported.
NBA’s discussing a number of possibilities — including eliminating fans from games or, more drastically, suspending game operations for a period of time. Decisions on those options remain complicated by fact there’s been such a limited amount of public testing for coronavirus. https://t.co/1XQXajNTXS
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2020
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“There have been calls every day,” Brown said. “This is in real-time. I talk to Tilman [owner Tilman Fertitta] multiple times per day.”
“We’re making sure that we listen to all the league professionals, and we’re also talking to our health-care professionals,” Brown added.
While Brown said the Rockets feel the games should go on, he left open the possibility of other measures being taken. When asked about the possibility of games without fans, Brown said Tuesday:
We’re going to have more of those discussions [Wednesday]. There’s been a lot of discussion in the general marketplace, and I’ve had different conversations with people that I’ll keep to myself. There will be more of a broad-based discussion from a league perspective tomorrow, and we look forward to having other information that we can make a decision on.
Everything is on the table, everything has been discussed. We’re looking forward to continuing to play our games. We think that that’s the best course of action in an environment of being really prudent and responsible in how we do that.
#Rockets CEO Tad Brown (@tadbbrown) says he expects the subject of potentially playing NBA games without fans due to Coronavirus to be discussed during Wednesday’s conference call with owners. Decision TBD, and they’re consulting with numerous health experts. pic.twitter.com/SsV2tH7gzu
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) March 10, 2020
When asked whether any decision about arena usage would be for the league as a whole or market by market, depending on local Coronavirus risk, Brown said those discussions had yet to be had.
“This is one of those things where we need to live our lives,” Brown said. “We need to operate in the way that we normally do.”
“But you’ve got to do it in a manner of the times that we’re living in today, that we need to be very cautious and listen to health care experts about how we can provide the safest environment possible.”
Asked whether the Ivy League is overreacting by cancelling its conference tournament or the NBA is under-reacting by still playing games in front of crowds, Dr. Fauci says "We would recommend that there not be large crowds."
— Mary Ellen McIntire (@MelMcIntire) March 11, 2020
According to The New York Times, data as of Wednesday morning showed 1,015 cases of Coronavirus in the United States, including 31 deaths. Of those confirmed cases, 30 were in the state of Texas, with more than 10 in the greater Houston area.
The next Rockets game is scheduled for Thursday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers. California has declared a “state of emergency” due to the virus, which has yet to occur in Texas.
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