SEC, Big 12, ACC Tournament Locker Rooms Closed to Media Amid COVID-19 Concerns

The SEC, Big 12, ACC, Big East and Pac-12 will all close their locker rooms to media access during their basketball conference tournaments to limit the potential for athlete exposure to the coronavirus, according to multiple reports:

All five conferences will still hold postgame press conferences in designated areas, however. 

Other conferences have taken their own measures. The Ivy League, for instance, completely canceled its men's and women's basketball tournaments.

It appears college basketball is following the trend of restricting locker room access that pro leagues in the United States are taking. The NHL, NBA, MLS and MLB are closing off locker rooms and clubhouses to reporters in the wake of the coronavirus spread. 

The NBA is also considering playing games without fans. 

Measures have been more dramatic globally.

The Chinese Basketball Association has postponed its season indefinitely, while the Overwatch League canceled its homestands in China and South Korea. In tennis, the Indian Wells Masters was canceled, one of the biggest tournaments of the season outside of the Grand Slams, calling into question the future of events like the French Open and Wimbledon. And Italy has postponed all sporting events until at least April 3, while Japan has postponed the start of the Nippon Professional Baseball season. 

For the time being, the United States has largely avoided canceling events or playing in front of no spectators. But the NCAA will face some interesting decisions with the men's and women's basketball tournaments on the horizon.