The Toronto Raptors of the NBA and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL will not have fans in home games until at least February 5 in Tampa, Florida.
The Winning Sports Group, which owns Lightning and Amalie Arena, announced Saturday that the organization would not accept fans as coronavirus cases in the area “have grown rapidly.”
About 20,000 new cases were reported in Florida on Friday. The state has recorded more than 1.4 million cases since the epidemic began.
“We are not comfortable bringing large numbers of fans indoors to watch hockey or basketball,” said Steve Griggs, CEO of Winick Sports Group and Lightning. We are hoping that we can reopen the arena soon after the rate drop and better performance. Overall number. ”
The Raptors were one of about half a dozen NBA teams to allow a limited number of fans to a home game, with 3,800 tickets available for each game.
Due to Canada’s border restrictions and rising COVID-19 cases, the Raptors were forced to play their home game in Tampa for at least the first half of the season.
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