Federal health official Anthony Fauci warned against convening large crowds given the coronavirus outbreak, adding to pressure on the NBA and other leagues to cancel events or keep spectators out.
“We would recommend that there not be large crowds,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the House Oversight Committee Wednesday. “If that means not having any people in the audience as the NBA. plays, so be it.”
The number of cases in the United States has surpassed 1,000, and 31 people have died. Fauci told committee members that “things will get worse than they are right now.”
Presidential candidates have taken measures to prevent further spread of the virus as well. Both Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden canceled their primary-night campaign rallies in Ohio, where three coronavirus cases were reported as of Tuesday. The Democratic National Committee also announced that there would not be a live audience at Sunday’s Phoenix debate between Biden and Sanders.
Meanwhile, President Trump said he would not cancel his campaign event in Wisconsin next week. Four days ago, Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago that he had no plans to scale back his campaign rallies, adding, “We’ll hold tremendous rallies.”
