By Troy Gillard

Silvertips, Thunderbirds games affected

WHL games in Washington State to be played without fans

Mar 11, 2020 | 4:23 PM

The Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds have announced they will play upcoming regular-season home games without fans after Washington State banned large group events in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Silvertips said their last remaining regular season home game on March 20 against the Victoria Royals will be closed to the general public. The team said tickets for the game will be honoured at a future home game of the purchaser’s choice.

The Thunderbirds will play home games against Vancouver on March 14 and Spokane on March 17 without fans. The status of Seattle’s final home game on March 21 against Portland will be determined in the coming days.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced Wednesday a ban of gatherings and events of more than 250 people in three Western Washington counties, including the greater Seattle area. The Silvertips are based just north of Seattle.

Earlier, the WHL said in a statement it will “comply with the public gathering requirements” regarding the remaining home games of the Silvertips and the Seattle Thunderbirds, who play south of the city in Kent, Wash.

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“We take the safety of our players, officials, staff, fans, and everyone associated with the WHL very seriously, and will take every step necessary to assist in containing this virus,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison said.

For now, there are no plans for the Red Deer Rebels to play any of their final three home games at the Westerner Park Centrium (March 14, 17 and 20) without fans.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon that the province is not yet looking at banning large public gatherings.

“At the moment there is no evidence of community spread in the province, all of our cases have been travel-related,” Hinshaw said. “At the moment our measures are adequate to protect Albertans, and we’re making very serious assessments to determine when that might change.”

The Rebels announced Wednesday that any promotional events at their games involving direct contact with the players, such as dressing room tours, autograph sessions, “high five” opportunities and player photographs, have been cancelled.

Westerner Park officials say they will be adding more cleaning and hand sanitizing stations, and that there is plenty of access to public washrooms for hand washing, hand sanitizers, and proper hand washing guidelines for both guests and staff.

“The health and safety of our guests and staff are a top priority,” the organization said Wednesday. “Westerner Park’s current cleaning and hygiene standards already meet the best practices and we take that very seriously.

(With file from The Canadian Press)