New York Yankees Receive Bad News
The New York Yankees announced this morning that one of their minor league players tested positive for COVID-19. That is the disease also known as coronavirus. The news was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN on Twitter.
The Yankees player who tested positive for coronavirus was only on the minor league side of the team's facility in Tampa. Still, as we're learning about coronavirus' ability to spread, that distance alone does not necessarily protect those who are nearby from contracting it.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 15, 2020
Due to the rules and regulations established in accordance to HIPAA, the identity of the player was not immediately released. According to Jeff Passan, the minor leaguer is in quarantine and that will likely remain for the next several days. According to current CDC recommendations, someone that is infected with the virus has to stay quarantined for an extended period of time. Sometimes up to two weeks.
With the idea of MLB suspending Spring Training because of this issue, it’s something very serious. While the minor league player might not have had contact with other players, there is the chance that he could have infected someone else.
MLB’s Efforts in Trying to Stop the Spread
Over the last few days, MLB has been making a conscious effort to try to stop the spread of COVID-19. All Spring Training camps and activities have been suspended until further notice. Furthermore, the league sent out a memo to teams this morning encouraging them to no longer participate in group activities.
The concept of that falls in line with the idea of “social distancing”. That idea was originally created by the CDC and is something that is being recommended for all Americans to follow. In the coming days, MLB will come out with more initiatives about how to move forward regarding all of this.
While it is still way too early to state when baseball might return, the focus right now is on stopping the spreading. For players and fans alike, that includes practicing good hygiene and staying away from others.
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