Duke to Open Basketball Season Without Fans

Duke University has announced that fans will not be allowed to attend men’s or women’s basketball games at Cameron Indoor Stadium due to the coronavirus. The school is one of the first top programs to announce such restrictions for the upcoming college hoops season.

The school’s spectator ban will extend to all winter sports, including fencing, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, and wrestling. Duke has not let any fans attend football games so far this fall. 

“As Duke University continues to be an industry leader per providing a safe environment for intercollegiate athletic competition, the decision to maintain our non-spectator protocol is imperative for the overall health and safety of the Blue Devil fan base, student-athletes, coaches and support staff, notwithstanding the immediate campus population comprised of students, faculty and staff,” Duke VP and director of athletics Kevin White said in a statement.