Stanford guard Lacie Hull (24) drives to the basket in opposition to UC Davis guard Bria Shine an NCAA faculty basketball recreation in Stanford, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. (AP Picture/Jeff Chiu)
Stanford is throwing its attendance coverage again to 2021.
The college introduced Tuesday that it's going to pause fan attendance in any respect indoor winter sporting occasions indefinitely, because of a spike in coronavirus circumstances within the Bay Space and past fueled by the extremely contagious omicron variant.
Solely relations of student-athletes will likely be allowed to attend video games in the intervening time. The college didn't give an finish date to the pause.
Stanford seems to be the primary Energy 5 college to return to a no-fan coverage throughout this educational 12 months. Harvard and Yale have introduced related insurance policies over the past week, however every of these insurance policies included anticipated finish dates.
“[A]fter thorough session with medical advisors and College management, it grew to become very clear that implementing these measures is the appropriate factor to do to guard our group at the moment,” athletics director Bernard Muir mentioned in an announcement.
Stanford’s second-ranked girls’s basketball group will host Oregon on Friday night time and Oregon State on Sunday. The Cardinal performed at Washington State on Sunday, successful with out a number of key contributors who missed the sport due to the virus, both from testing optimistic or contact tracing.
The Cardinal males’s basketball group is within the midst of a pause as a result of COVID circumstances throughout the program. Video games scheduled for final Sunday and this Thursday in opposition to Cal and No. 5 UCLA, respectively, have been postponed. Stanford’s subsequent scheduled recreation is Saturday at residence in opposition to seventh-ranked USC.
Followers will likely be refunded for any tickets to video games impacted by the coverage, athletics division spokesperson Zach Reynolds mentioned Tuesday.
Previous to Tuesday, Stanford had required followers to point out proof of vaccination or a unfavorable take a look at to enter indoor sporting occasions, in addition to put on masks when not actively consuming or ingesting.
Stanford goes to be enjoying in nearly-empty gyms for the indefinite future, however different groups across the Bay Space aren’t even going be on the courtroom till no less than this weekend due to COVID-19-related postponements.
Santa Clara’s Thursday males’s recreation with Saint Mary’s was postponed Tuesday as a result of COVID circumstances throughout the Gaels’ program. Neither group has performed since SMC beat Yale Dec. 28.
No different Bay Space college has indicated it plans to comply with in Stanford’s footsteps. A San Jose State spokesperson mentioned the Spartans would proceed welcoming followers in the intervening time, and calls to Santa Clara, Saint Mary’s and Cal haven't but been returned.
— The USF males’s basketball group reached a artistic resolution for dropping this week’s recreation at Gonzaga, scheduling to play Loyola Chicago on Thursday in Salt Lake Metropolis.
The Dons (13-1) haven’t performed since a 111-78 win over Academy of Artwork on Dec. 28. Thursday’s West Coast Convention recreation in opposition to No. 4 Gonzaga was postponed Monday due to COVID-19 protocols throughout the Bulldogs program.
USF’s recreation in opposition to Loyola Chicago will tip off at 11 a.m. Pacific at Salt Lake Neighborhood Faculty. The Dons are scheduled to play host to San Diego on Saturday.