Kings take precautions at Golden 1 Center to prevent spread of coronavirus outbreak
The Sacramento Kings are coordinating with the NBA and health officials to implement precautionary measures at Golden 1 Center to protect players, employees and fans from the coronavirus outbreak.
The team issued a statement saying the organization is working with the NBA, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local public health officials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus. More than 17,000 people could fill the team’s downtown arena to see the Kings play the Toronto Raptors on Sunday evening.
“The health and safety of our employees and guests is our number one priority,” the Kings said in the statement. “In coordination with the NBA, the CDC, medical experts and local health officials we continue to monitor the situation closely and have implemented enhanced operational procedures and policies as recommended by the NBA and CDC.”
The Kings said the entire arena is sanitized after every game, concert and event, including player and staff spaces. The team is providing additional hand-sanitizing stations throughout the arena as well as hand-sanitizer wipes at Guest Services locations on the Plaza and Bridge levels.
Also, players and employees have been briefed on the preventative guidelines provided by the CDC as well as NBA recommendations. The league has encouraged players to use fist bumps instead of high-fives and take precautions when signing autographs.
The NBA reportedly distributed a memo to teams Friday telling them to prepare for the possibility of playing games without fans or media to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The memo, which was first reported by The Athletic, outlines potential steps teams might have to take “if it were to become necessary to play a game with only essential staff present.”
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James rejected that idea Saturday night after leading his team to a 113-103 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in a marquee regular-season matchup.
“We play games without the fans? Nah, that’s impossible,” James said, according to The Associated Press. “I ain’t playing if I ain’t got the fans in the crowd. That’s who I play for. I play for my teammates and I play for the fans. That’s what it’s all about. So, if I show up to an arena and there ain’t no fans in there, I ain’t playing. They can do what they want to do.”
In an earlier memo to teams, NBA Director of Sports Medicine John DiFiori and NBA Players Association Chief Medical Officer Joe Rogowski provided a number of recommendations. They advised players to offer fist bumps instead of high-fives and avoid taking items from autograph seekers, including markers, balls and jerseys.
Kings center Richaun Holmes said health and safety is most important, but players naturally gravitate toward their fans.
“It’s a scary situation, so you definitely want to protect yourself at all times,” Holmes said. “Health definitely does come first, but you always want to show love to the fans who are showing love to us, so we’ll figure it out.”
