The University of Wyoming has banned new ticket sales to home sporting events until at least 2021 as new statewide public health orders imposed by Republican Gov. Mark Gordon went into effect Wednesday.
The university said no new tickets will be sold starting Wednesday until at least Jan. 8.
There will be no additional ticket sales for two upcoming home games scheduled this week, but fans who bought tickets before 12 p.m. Tuesday will still be allowed to attend.
The new state orders were implemented in response to the recent spike in statewide coronavirus cases. The state reported 128 deaths from the coronavirus in November, the most in a single month since the pandemic began.
The new measures imposed a statewide mask mandate in most public settings and limited indoor gatherings to 10 people if social distancing is not possible.
Up to 250 people are allowed to gather outdoors as long as attendance does not exceed 50% of the capacity of venues. The governor’s orders were scheduled to go into effect on Wednesday and are expected to expire on Jan. 8.
People who purchased tickets for the University of Wyoming men’s basketball game against the University of Nebraska Omaha on Dec. 17 will receive refunds, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
Relatives of team members will still be allowed to attend men’s and women’s basketball games and suites at the university’s football stadium on Saturday will be limited to 10 people.
The university initially limited attendance at football games to 5,000 people and had planned to cap basketball games at 2,000 fans until at least the end of the year before the new health measures were imposed.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some – especially older adults and people with existing health problems – it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.