Due to the recent COVID-19 surge in Ontario, provincial authorities have made amendments to capacity crowds permitted in large indoor venues.
In accordance with health authorities, the Raptors were set to be limited to 1,000 spectators at games played at Scotiabank Arena, but MLSE announced later on Thursday that as of Friday, Dec. 31, the arena will "transition to operating without any sold tickets."
MLSE statement on new capacity limitations, timeline for those changes, and ticketing details. pic.twitter.com/CNiyj0E86N
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) December 30, 2021
The statement continued to say the expectation is that Scotiabank Arena will operate without fans for "the next three weeks at which time the province has indicated they will reassess restrictions."
Prior to the announcement, the Raptors had been operating with a maximum capacity of 10,000 spectators, which went into effect on Dec. 16
In conjunction with the decreased capacity, the Raptors implemented "Operation Mask Up (Or Out)," in which the arena's mask protocols require "all attendees to strictly adhere to all mask-wearing protocols or risk ejection from the building."
At the time of the announcement, the Raptors hold a 7-10 home record with 24 games remaining at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors are scheduled to play seven home games in the month of January.
Raptors upcoming home schedule 2021-22
| Date | Opponent | Time |
| Fri, Dec. 31 | LA Clippers | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sun, Jan. 2 | New York Knicks | 3:30 p.m. |
| Tue, Jan. 4 | San Antonio Spurs | 7:00 p.m. |
| Fri, Jan. 7 | Utah Jazz | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sun, Jan. 9 | New Orleans Pelicans | 6:00 p.m. |
| Tue, Jan. 11 | Phoenix Suns | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sun, Jan. 23 | Portland Trail Blazers | 6:00 p.m. |
| Tue, Jan. 25 | Charlotte Hornets | 7:00 p.m. |
Stick with NBA.com for updates on statements from the Raptors, MLSE and Scotiabank Arena.
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