KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thousands of fans are expected to fill the Power and Light District this weekend in Kansas City, Missouri, for the Big 12 Tournament.
With the Kansas City metro seeing its first case of coronavirus, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said they want both fans and players to be safe.
Announced on Monday, the Big 12 will limit interactions with the teams. Members of the media will not be allowed in the locker rooms.
“[We want to] try to make sure the number of interactions and the kind of interactions that we have are minimized because we know the virus transfers person to person,” Bowlsby said.
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said he also wants to keep fans safe.
"I am proud of the conference for making sure they are looking out for the players,” Lucas said. “Those in the KC government are making sure we look out for the fans. At this point, we still only have one case in Missouri and one case in Kansas of the coronavirus.”
The city and the conference are advising people to keep washing their hands, stay home if they are sick and not to touch their face.
Bowlsby said the Big 12 has a plan if the virus spreads throughout Kansas City.
“If we get advance to the contrary that tells us that it is not well advised to have fans in the stands or even to play the tournament, obviously we plan to yield to the best medical advice we can get,” Bowlsby said.
