On Thursday, The University of South Florida announced it would be making some major precautionary adjustments in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The school sent out an official press release this afternoon saying that starting today, USF Athletics will close all home competitions to fans, and only “essential staff and limited family” will be allowed to be in attendance at facilities.
"After consulting with university leadership, I have made the decision that it is in the best interest for the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, fans and the community at large to conduct our athletic competitions for a period of time in the absence of fans," said Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly in the press release. "We will continue to monitor closely the impacts of COVID-19 and consult public health resources as we assess the need for further adjustments moving forward."
The school said that all fans who have purchased tickets will be fully reimbursed. Anyone with questions about ticket purchases can contact the USF ticket office at 1-800-GoBulls.
While the changes will be in effect until further notice, the school says all sporting events will still be broadcast as scheduled and can be followed on Bulls Unlimited channels 1 and 2 on iHeartRadio.
Despite coronavirus concerns, the USF’s campuses remain open, but students and faculty are encouraged to remain off campus.
This announcement follows a string of large event cancelations or suspensions in the last 24 hours. St. Pete cancelled all general admission at this weekend's Grand Prix this morning, and last night the NCAA called for all March Madness games to be played without an audience, including the upcoming games at Tampa's Amalie Arena.
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This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2020.