Ohio governor announces coronavirus state order barring fans from March Madness games
By SDS Staff
Published:
For NCAA Tournament games in Ohio, the crowd won’t be going wild. In fact, there won’t be a crowd.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday that a state order for “no mass gatherings” will be in effect for the upcoming March Madness games scheduled in the state. Dayton, Ohio is scheduled to host the Round 1 games featuring the four teams playing to continue to join the field of 64 (First Four in Dayton). Cleveland is also scheduled to host games on March 20-22, the opening weekend of the tournament. DeWine said the “no mass gatherings” order is to prevent an Italy-like coronavirus situation.
“The reason we’re doing the things we’re doing is we have the potential of becoming Italy,” DeWine said in a Wednesday news conference, per Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
“This seems difficult for people. But we know what’s coming. We know what’s around the corner. … Everything looks the same, but it’s really not,” he added in the same news conference, per Kilgore.
The fanless March Madness in Ohio announcement follows the news that Cincinnati football has canceled its spring game due to coronavirus concerns. Earlier this week, signs were already pointing to empty arenas in Ohio for March Madness as DeWine issued a public statement asking for no spectators for indoor events.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
