Blue Jackets to Play Home Games Without Fans Amid Governor DeWine's Order

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's announced Wednesday that he will soon issue an order to ban large gatherings in the state, which will include athletic events moving forward without spectators, as the coronavirus outbreak continues.

Following the news, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced Wednesday afternoon that home games will be closed to the public: 

DeWine said a 53-year-old man from Stark County who had not traveled outside the United States was categorized as Ohio's first COVID-19 case contracted through "community spread."

"Community spread is a game-changer," DeWine said. "You're going to see us taking more aggressive actions now. Please know that we're doing this to protect Ohioans and protect our healthcare system."

The Blue Jackets were originally planning to keep Thursday's game against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins and Saturday's matchup with the Nashville Predators "open to ticketed fans that wish to attend."

Elsewhere in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks had three home games postponed after Santa Clara County banned large gatherings in response to the area's first coronavirus-related death.

"

Santa Clara County has implemented a mandatory ban on all large gatherings.

The ban, which will begin at midnight on Wednesday, will span 3 weeks and apply to events with more than 1,000 attendees.

The ban will apply to San Jose Sharks games planned for San Jose’s SAP Center.

— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) March 10, 2020"

On Monday, there was a joint statement released by the NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS detailing that "all team locker rooms and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential employees of teams and team facilities until further notice."

The first MLS game was postponed earlier Wednesday when the Seattle Sounders announced they had postponed their March 21 home match against FC Dallas. Washington Governor Jay Inslee banned public gatherings exceeding 250 people in and around Seattle. MLS released a statement Wednesday evening:

COVID-19 cases have exceeded 115,000 worldwide and 1,000 in the U.S., per CNN. More than 4,200 people have died worldwide.