Today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered some good news in his daily COVID-19 briefing. He said that the models are showing improvement, and he believes that New York State is reaching its apex. Models also show that New Jersey is also beginning to flatten and reach its apex.
This is excellent news, but other states aren’t as fortunate. Louisiana is one of those states, and according to their government, they may run out of ventilators and ICU beds over the next week.
However, all states should be on the verge of an apex relatively soon. Stricter and stricter guidelines are being put in place all around the country. Cuomo said that New Yorkers are following guidelines for the most part, and that’s why the state is likely at its apex.
It’s more important than ever to follow social distancing guidelines. Continuing to follow them as much as possible will lead to a decrease in positive cases and an increase in recovered patients. It also allows our healthcare system to catch up.
What this means for sports:
The good news is that the first states are beginning to reach the apex of coronavirus. But, sports can’t even be a question until all states (and even Mexico and Canada) are showing a downward trend. Once that happens, you can start to think about getting sports going soon.
The thing is, if we jump the gun too quickly, there’s a chance that this thing will come back. A few Asian countries have seen another rise in cases because they jumped the gun too quickly.
The first order of business is to get people back to work, and companies open again. Once we safely do that, we can focus on getting it safe enough for 20,000+ people to pack an arena or a stadium for a game.
We have seen the first legitimate optimism, but for right now, we need to continue to be smart. If we keep staying smart, all states will eventually be on a downward trend, and we can enjoy sports again.
Keep social distancing. Keep washing your hands. We will get through this and be back to normal soon.