The NCAA has announced that basketball tournament games will be played in mostly empty arenas. NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a Wednesday statement that the decision was made after consult with public health officials, ESPN reports.

“Based on their advice and my discussions with the NCAA Board of Governors, I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance.”

Emmert cited “current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States.”

According to the current CDC report, as of yesterday at 4 p.m., there have been 167 confirmed and 771 presumptive cases of COVID-19 in the United States. 29 people have died. The new numbers are released each weekday at noon.