Sneeze guards, artificial intelligence and more: The Mavs are discussing new measures if fans return to AAC – The Dallas Morning News

If the NBA resumes its 2019-20 season this summer or fall, games will likely occur without fans.

But the Mavericks are still focused on the potential need to revamp their American Airlines Center gameday experience amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

During an interview Monday with ESPN 103.3 KESN-FM, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said members of the organization have recently discussed changes to operations and technologies in the AAC if fans can return in limited capacity before treatments and preventions for the coronavirus are created.

The AAC norm may start with staggered fan arrival.

The Mavericks could request fans sign up for an arrival time at a specific parking spot, Cuban said, where theyll then receive a predetermined path to walk to their gate. Upon passing through AAC security, a guide could lead fans to their seats, separated from other guests.

We may do that almost like Disneyland, do it like theres a procession and you have people guiding you to your seat, Cuban said. Or the example I use is more like a haunted house where you wait in line and you go through the haunted house, but youre not allowed to touch anything, and everybody just is guided to their seats at the right time.

It may take a little bit longer for everybody to get into their seats to start the game, but well accommodate that and go from there.

Cuban said the Mavericks have considered requesting advance information from fans to understand whom they can sit near -- those theyve already been quarantining with -- and how to space different groups.

The organization has also discussed new accessories, such as individual sneeze guards or things that surround your whole neck, or lightweight hoodies so if somebody two rows behind you sneezes, youre not freaked out, Cuban said.

To prevent the spread of the coronavirus via contaminated surfaces, Cuban highlighted potential artificial intelligence, such as a service tool similar to Amazons Alexa, to allow fans a way to verbally request needs, rather than moving around and touching items.

Theres just so many things that were trying to deal with. Theres a lot of natural [decontamination] and sterilization tools that we can use to keep the arena clean, Cuban said. Theres all these things that have to be considered, and were trying to put together a list now.

Well be wrong about a lot of things, and things will zig when we zag, but thats the way it works.

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Sneeze guards, artificial intelligence and more: The Mavs are discussing new measures if fans return to AAC - The Dallas Morning News