Ohio governor Mike DeWine spoke at the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus on Tuesday to address coronavirus concerns and share his recommendations on how to prevent the spread of the virus.
The state of Ohio has three confirmed cases of coronavirus.
For indoor sporting events, DeWine said the state is "asking for no events with spectators other than the athletes, parents, and others essential to the game."
DeWine clarified that media should be among those permitted to attend games, and that these recommendations do not apply to outdoor sporting events.
As a result, the Mid-American Conference implemented a "restricted attendance policy" for its men's and women's postseason tournaments in Cleveland this month that follows DeWine's recommendations.
The Penguins play the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Thursday. The Blue Jackets issued a statement of their own saying that the current plan is for upcoming home games to be played as scheduled, with fans in attendance.
"The Columbus Blue Jackets are aware of the recommendation by Governor DeWine," said the statement. "We have been in contact with the National Hockey League and, given the facts before us, it has been determined that our scheduled games, including this Thursday vs. Pittsburgh and Saturday vs. Nashville, will go on as scheduled and be open to ticketed fans that wish to attend."
The Blue Jackets' statement goes on to recommend that "persons at higher risk" including the elderly, people with compromising health issues, and people currently feeling ill do not attend large gatherings like sporting events.
The Blue Jackets are taking additional steps to fight the spread of viruses, including expanded, detailed cleaning of the arena and additional hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the arena.
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