Mavs Exclusive: Cuban Details NBA Team's Plans for Fans and Coronavirus

DALLAS - The World Health Organization has declared the new coronavirus known as COVID-19 a "global pandemic,'' and the NBA is responding in a variety of notable manners.

"Bottom line,'' Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tells DallasBasketball.com's Dalton Trigg, "we will put the safety of our fans and customers first.”

The Mavs play at home tonight at the AAC against the Denver Nuggets. Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors have announced that their Thursday game against the Nets ... will be played - but with no fans in the arena.

“As of now, that isn't the case (for the Mavs),'' Cuban tells DBcom. "Right now, we are only asking the elderly and anyone with a compromised immunity system to not attend. We will also have the ACC fully stocked with sanitizers so people can clean up as often as they need to.

"If that changes,'' Cuban said, "we will, of course, let everyone know.''

Meanwhile, the NFL has no present plans to alter its scheduled NFL Draft on April 23-25 in Las Vegas. But member teams - including the Dallas Cowboys - are working to stay on top of the issue and react accordingly.

One source from inside The Star tells CowboysSI.com that the medical staff has emphasized "hygiene, as always.'' We're also told that the Cowboys medical staff is well-versed in treatment for MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and is similarly prepared to deal with this coronavirus.

Additionally, the Cowboys (along with the NFL) work closely with Duke University and DICON (Duke Infection Control Outreach Network) to stay informed.

Another team source says there has been no notable change in players' offseason attendance at The Star.

"Our numbers are always high,'' the source said in regard to attendance, "and this year is as high or better than ever.''

Meanwhile, a Cowboys source tells us that while other teams are reportedly cutting back on scouting department travel in preparation for the NFL Draft, Dallas is not among those teams.

"Business as usual,'' he said.

Some cities, states, and regions have begun canceling or limiting social events due to the virus. In Seattle, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, the governor of Washington state is announcing a ban on public assemblages of 250 or more people. A similar mass-group ban is happening in Santa Clara County, California. Many teams in Europe have temporarily shut downplay. already has locked down professional sports. MLB's Texas Rangers are scheduled to open in Seattle and those plans may change. The NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS have limited access to their locker rooms, and at tonight's Mavs game, media access will be limited.

"Maybe it's time we start thinking in terms of limiting activity in large crowds," said Stephen Love, the president of the Dallas/Fort Worth Hospital Council.

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