CLEVELAND, Ohio — In his coronavirus briefing ahead of Christmas, Gov. Mike DeWine reiterated his concern for indoor sports continuing as the pandemic progresses through the winter.
The governor said he thinks his administration has been consistent in handling the stipulations surrounding indoor sports, addressing that no crowds are permitted for NCAA basketball games. The Cleveland Cavaliers are allowed a maximum of 300 fans at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
The Cavs open their season Wednesday at home and will play the Charlotte Hornets at 7 p.m.
Along with the Cavs, the Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz will begin the season with a limited number of fans. On Monday, the Columbus Dispatch reported the Columbus Blue Jackets have not requested a variance to have fans from DeWine’s administration.
As for youth sports, DeWine said there’s been confusion about the restrictions when it comes to parents being able to watch their children play. DeWine touched on how the trouble with indoor events and sports is that the virus spreads more compared to the outdoors.
“We have said, and I’ve said to everyone, I’ve said to our schools, that our goal would be that parents get to see their kids play,” DeWine said. “Aspirationally, that’s what I think the goal should be is parents get to see the kids play, but the most important thing is the kids get to play. And that’s what our rules are based upon.”
