UCLA Bans Fans from Home Events Through April 10 Amid Coronavirus Concerns

The UCLA Bruins athletic department is the latest in the sports world to respond to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. 

Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times noted the Pac-12 program will not allow fans to attend home athletic events until "at least" April 10. Notably, the school also announced it will suspend all in-person classes for students until the same date and will offer final exams remotely.

The announcement from the athletic department explained essential personnel who will attend the home events are limited to "student-athletes, coaches, team trainers and medical personnel, game officials, operational and administrative staff, and credentialed media members."

It also said it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and will make any changes needed as the situation develops.

Both the men's and women's basketball teams have played their final home games of the season for the Bruins, and the spring football game is not scheduled until April 18. 

However, the baseball, softball, men's tennis and men's volleyball teams are among those with scheduled home games during the time period where fans will not be allowed to attend.

UCLA's announcement comes after the NCAA issued the following statement with the men's and women's basketball tournaments approaching: "The NCAA continues to assess how COVID-19 impacts the conduct of our tournaments and events. We are consulting with public health officials and our COVID-19 advisory panel, who are leading experts in epidemiology and public health, and will make decisions in the coming days."

The Ivy League also issued a statement saying it would cancel the men's and women's basketball tournaments and award the regular-season champions (Yale men and Princeton women) the automatic bids to the Big Dance.

The Big West and MAC both announced they will play their conference tournaments without fans present. 

According to CNN, more than 113,000 people have been infected by the virus that has led to more than 4,000 deaths globally.