The coronavirus outbreak has been sweeping the world and the United States in recent weeks, causing many different companies and workforces to change the way they go about business and other matters on a day-to-day basis.
There currently haven’t been many reported deaths from the virus in the U.S., although that can obviously change at any time with how quickly it is spreading. As Major League Baseball teams go through Spring Training in preparation for the 2020 season, there certainly has been cause for concern throughout the league about coronavirus.
Other sports have advised players not to sign autographs or come in contact with fans for the time being, and the NCAA is even considering playing March Madness games in empty gyms this year.
There also have been talks about canceling the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, although they still have plenty of time to make a decision as big as that.
As far as MLB goes, there are no current plans to cancel any games due to coronavirus but the league is sending memos to teams on how to handle the situation, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN:
Major League Baseball does not presently plan to cancel or postpone spring training or regular-season games due to the coronavirus outbreak but has established an internal task force to deal with possible complications in the coming months, according to a memo obtained by ESPN.
The league is currently “developing recommendations to mitigate the spread of coronavirus at ballparks” that “address proper hygiene, cleaning methods for the clubhouse and training room, and supplies that Clubs may seek to purchase,” according to the memo. MLB expects to inform teams of the plan later this week.
The fact that MLB and organizations all throughout the world are taking coronavirus as seriously as they are shows how dangerous it can be. So hopefully fans can understand the reasoning behind players potentially not signing as many autographs or interacting with them as much in the coming weeks.
Simple hygiene such as washing hands will become even more important for people around the world as the virus continues to spread. But until some drastic change happens, it appears MLB will operate its business as usual.
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