Fans and parents will not be allowed to attend athletic events for Jersey City’s public high schools during the coronavirus pandemic, according to two athletic directors within the district.

The decision, which was finalized Thursday, means there will not be spectators in the stands for any game in any sport. There are five high schools in the district with athletics: Dickinson, Ferris, Lincoln, McNair and Snyder.

“The bottom line is it’s for the safety of everyone involved,” said Richard Nisbit, Dickinson’s athletic director. “The best way to keep everyone safe is to not have fans there.”

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association announced last month that spectators can attend games in accordance with the state’s limit on outdoor gatherings, which currently stands at 500 people.

Along with Bridgeton and Mainland in South Jersey, Jersey City will be one a few districts banning spectators. Like Jersey City, Bridgeton has banned all spectators, but parents can attend games at Mainland High School.

Unlike most other districts across the state, however, Jersey City schools share athletic fields in public parks. While security can control spectators at Caven Point Athletic Complex near Liberty State Park, they can’t at Lincoln Park, where teams play soccer on the city’s west side.

“I can’t control girls soccer or my JV soccer games playing in the middle of Lincoln Park,” Nisbit said. “There’s no way to control that situation. We’re going to possibly put additional security with those teams so there’s no interaction with those teams in case people show up.”

Games for girls tennis began Monday while all other outdoor fall sports open later this week. The schedule includes three football games this weekend in Jersey City, including a rivalry game between Lincoln and Snyder on Friday night at Caven Point.

Lincoln athletic director Keith Price said thousands of fans would normally attend the Lincoln-Snyder game.

“This is usually the biggest game in the city for the year in football, honestly even in the county,” Price said. “It’s honestly the homecoming before the homecoming.”

Price said he supports the district’s decision.

“Nobody wants to put the health and safety of anybody’s life in jeopardy,” Price said. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I knew somebody got sick. As much as I want to make everyone feel comfortable, we just can’t do it.”

Rules regarding ticket sales and other gameday policies for football, like what to do with band members and cheerleaders, were largely left to leadership within the state’s five football conferences. In some cases, like Jersey City’s, districts decided their own rules.

Jersey City’s football teams play in the Super Football Conference, which let each of its 19 divisions determine their gameday guidelines. Other sports play in the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League.

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Patrick Lanni covers the Super Football Conference (Bergen, Hudson, Passaic) and North Jersey Interscholastic Conference. He can be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com and on Twitter @PatLanniHS.