From the Utah Department of Health: On Friday, March 6, 2020, a Utah resident was diagnosed with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. In working with the patient to identify public places they visited since their return to the state, the Utah Department of Health identified that the patient attended the BYU/Gonzaga basketball game at the Marriott Center on the BYU campus on February 22.
The patient felt only mild symptoms and had not developed a cough when they attended the game. As a result, the Utah Department of Health currently believes the risk to others who attended the game is very low.
Public Health has already identified individuals who sat close enough to the patient for potential exposure to the virus and is contacting them to inform them of the risk of possible exposure.
These contacts will be checked for development of respiratory illness symptoms. Any who are symptomatic will be assessed and offered testing for COVID-19.
Other game attendees not sitting near the patient are not considered at risk for exposure.
As more than 14 days have passed since the basketball game, there is no need for persons who attended the game to quarantine themselves unless they have symptoms that match coronavirus.
Utah is currently in the midst of a severe influenza season and several other respiratory viruses are also circling throughout the state. If a person develops respiratory symptoms after attending the game, they are much more likely to be due to influenza or another virus than to COVID-19.
Additionally, the Marriott Center staff has already worked with Utah County Environmental Health staff officials to ensure they took all appropriate measures to disinfect surfaces in the facility using appropriate disinfection products.
This comes in addition to the center’s routine cleaning and disinfection practices, which are designed to help prevent the spread of illnesses among patients.
There is no evidence to suggest that anyone attending subsequent events at the Marriott Center may be at risk for COVID-19.
Both the Utah County Health Department and the Utah Department of Health have determined that there is no risk of COVID-19 transmission at the Marriott Center to anyone participating in events at the facility after February 22.