Cal Sports: Cal Will Limit Attendance at Home Events

Cal announced Wednesday night that it will allow only limited personnel at home athletic events as a result of concerns about COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus. The policy that will remain in place through March 29.

This may moot, however, as the Pac-12 announced Thursday morning that all Pac-12 sporting events have been canceled until further notice. Cal is trying to get clarity as to whether the Pac-12 announcement means all Cal sports activities have been canceled.

Here is the complete release from Cal:

"To help protect at-risk populations and lessen the spread of the rapidly evolving coronavirus situation, attendance at Cal Athletics home events will be limited to essential personnel only, beginning Wednesday.

"The policy, made in consultation with campus leadership, will be in effect through at least the end of spring break on March 29. A decision on attendance for future events will occur before March 30, based on the latest coronavirus information at that time.

"Essential personnel who will be allowed to attend events are defined as student-athletes, coaches, sports medicine staff, game officials, operational and administrative staff, and credentialed media.

"Fans who have pre-purchased tickets to events through March 29 may contact the Cal Athletic Ticket Office with questions by calling (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) and pressing option 3. Options for fans include:

---Exchanging tickets to a future Cal Athletics event in the same sport at no additional charge;

---Consider donating ticket(s) for a future Cal Athletics event to a local non-profit organization of your choice;

---Request a refund for events occurring between now and March 29, 2020

The Cal Athletic Ticket Office is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

While events are closed to spectators, Cal Athletics is working on a plan to have all home games streamed online during this period. Check individual sport pages on CalBears.com for details and links.

While there were no confirmed cases of the coronavirus on campus as of Wednesday, the University has taken several proactive steps to help limit the transmission of the virus, including moving many classes online, and postponing or cancelling all campus-sponsored events with plans for more than 150 attendees. The campus remains open, and many campus operations are proceeding normally. Additional information on the campus response to the coronavirus can be found at this link.

As a reminder, good hygiene and staying home when sick can help protect individuals and the greater community from COVID-19 and other germs. All guests are reminded to:

---Wash your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer (contains at least 60% alcohol) if soap and water are not available. Wash your hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds, and certainly after sneezing or before/after touching your face or a sick person;

---Cover your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing, if you are ill;

---Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth;

---Avoid contact with others who are sick;

---Stay home if you are sick or not feeling well.

Additional information will be posted on CalBears.com or can be found by following @CalAthletics on Twitter.

Cal football coach Justin Wilcox said Wednesday in the video below that spring practice has not been altered yet. That could change.