The University of Hawaii at Hilo's Vulcan Athletics has recently announced that they will not be allowing a live audience at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium for women's and men's basketball games this month.
Spectators were prohibited from watching the men's basketball game against Holy Names University last week, and the new policy will be applied during upcoming games against Biola University, Academy of Art University and Dominican University.
"With the rising case counts on the Big Island, we feel this is the prudent approach to ensure the health and safety of our students, staff and Big Island community," Athletic Director Patrick Guillen told the Official Athletics Site of Hawaii at Hilo. "Of course we want our fans back in the stands as soon as possible. We will reevaluate in the next couple of weeks and hope to have our fans and spectators back cheering on our Vulcans when we host Azusa Pacific on Feb. 3. Until then, please stay vigilant, safe and 'mahalo nui' for your support during these challenging times."
This restriction came on the heels of the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the spread of the omicron variant, according to the Official Athletics Site of Hawaii at Hilo. This effort is aimed at keeping the Big Island communities safe.
Games will be available through live stats and livestream courtesy of Out of Seas Media, Inc.