Amherst College is continuing to ban spectators at the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament on Saturday in Massachusetts due to growing concerns about the coronavirus, according to Nancy Asiamah of TV station WWLP.
The college is joining several athletic departments across the nation in changing schedules and policies as the number of people infected by the virus grows.
Late Thursday, Johns Hopkins University announced no spectators would be allowed at its first-round games for the NCAA Division III tournament that started Friday.
“In light of Maryland’s recently confirmed cases of COVID-19, and based on CDC guidance for large gatherings, we have determined that it is prudent to hold this tournament without spectators,” the university said. “We are not making any determination about other JHU events at this time; while we await further guidance from public health authorities, we will be assessing large events on a case-by-case basis. We regret any inconvenience to the families and fans of the players.”
The school said people who purchased tickets in advance should contact their athletics department to get a refund.
All three games at Johns Hopkins this weekend were scheduled to be livestreamed on HopTV.
Johns Hopkins is in Baltimore.
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Overseas, more cycling races were canceled Friday, and more soccer matches will be played in empty stadiums because of the virus outbreak spreading around the world.
RCS Sport, which organizes cycling events in Italy, canceled the Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo races as well as the Giro di Sicilia. On Thursday, the Strade Bianche men’'s and women’s races were canceled.
The Italian government issued a decree Wednesday that all sporting events in the country must take place without spectators until April 3. That includes Serie A, Italy’s top soccer league.
The canceled races will have implications as riders prepare for the year’s biggest events, such as the Giro d’Italia (May 9-31) and the Tour de France (June 27-July 19). The Tour is slated to start a week earlier this year to avoid conflict with the Tokyo Olympics.
Credit: AJC
Italy is the epicenter of Europe’s coronavirus outbreak. More than 100 people have died and more than 3,000 have been infected, mainly in the northern part of the country.
A decision on the status of the World Cup skiing finals in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, from March 18-22 was postponed by a day until Saturday.
In rugby, the governing body of the sport in Italy said it has suspended all activity, including training. Six Nations matches against Ireland and England have already been postponed.
Credit: AJC
Also, Danish soccer club Copenhagen said all of its matches in March would be played without fans. The decision followed comments from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who said events with crowds of more than 1,000 should be canceled or postponed because of the virus.
In France, the roof at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy will remain open even if it rains when Lille hosts Lyon in a league match Sunday.
The coronavirus reached 577 cases in France by Friday, with nine deaths, the country’s health ministry said. The French soccer league also has measures in place to help contain the virus, such as no handshakes and other modified protocol.
