Gators Announce Capacity, Safety Info For Men's, Women's Basketball
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continuing to interrupt everyday lives and the sporting world as a whole, the Florida Gators basketball attendance for both the men's and women's team will look a lot different this 2020-21 season.
Announced on Tuesday, the Gators will play host to just 2,200 of the typical capacity of 10,133 fans. This was "a number arrived at in consultation with UF Health officials. The Gators will also follow COVID-19 safety protocols established by the SEC Medical Guidance Task Force and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," the school said in its press release.
As we've seen throughout the fall, the Gators, along with other programs around the country, have seen a loss of fan attendance with the Florida football team at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium allowing a maximum of just 17,000 fans to attend games. The basketball teams at O'Connell Center will be no different.
There will also be strict guidelines set in place, much like for football, all fans will be required to wear face coverings - both the nose and mouth - throughout the duration of the game. "Failure to comply with this important health guideline could result in loss of ticket privileges."
The arena will include signage and other additions such as additional hand sanitizer stations that will reinforce safety measures to limit or prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Tickets for the games this season will be handled completely digitally and the university has asked for fans to pre-load their tickets on their Apple Wallets or Google Pay apps prior to arriving at the arena. All seating will be handled in pods of two and four, and single-game tickets for the Men's team will go on sale at a later date. All Women's team tickets are single-game and are already on sale.
