The Coronavirus and what New York Yankee fans need to know
The New York Yankees have taken steps to protect players. Now that the coronavirus has been designated as a pandemic, it has widespread impacts on how we conduct our daily lives. Around the country in areas where the outbreak is spreading, many public gatherings have been canceled, schools have been shut down, St. Patrick’s Day parades canceled, and residents are taking unprecedented safeguards to protect themselves from the deadly virus.
In the past few days, the precautions have started to affect the sports world, basketball games are being played without fans, and schools in many areas have canceled all sports and afterschool activities. One of the most awaited sports events of the year is March Madness, the national tournament for college basketball. In a dramatic announcement yesterday, officials stated that the competition would go on, but there will be no fans in the stands. The NBA has canceled the rest of its season after Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the disease. The NHL has also suspended its season. It should be noted that the NBA and NHL both play their games at indoor venues.
So far, MLB and the Yankees have made no plans to band fans from spring training games, and it is doubtful that will change. However, if the virus continues into the summer and increases in its frequency, that may be a decision that will have to be visited. As of now, the Yankees and MLB are taking steps to protect players from possible exposure by locking down the locker room and dugout. No visitors, no media, and non-essential Yankee personnel will also be banned from the clubhouse.
The Yankees are accommodating the media but setting up a media area outside the clubhouse, at the edge of the field. The area has a Yankee backdrop attached to the wall, a microphone on a stand, and a 6′ buffer zone that is roped off that the media must stand behind. The Yankees had a scare when Gary Sanchez came down with a temperature, but tests indicated it was the flu.
Many in the sports world may think many of the actions being taken border on hysteria. This may be true, but precautions are necessary mainly because there is so much that we don’t know about this virus. Unlike the regular flu, if you are exposed to the coronavirus, the likelihood is that you will contract it, as it is highly contagious.  Older fans and those with underlying health issues are most at risk.
One can’t help but think if the virus continues at its present rate, it will eventually affect our beloved Yankees and the baseball season as well. So far, where the Grapefruit league spring training games are held in Florida, there are only 21 cases of the virus reported, although that will most likely change by the day. Of the 21 cases, only two are reported in people under the age of 60. One of those is a 29-year-old female in Hillsborough county where the New York Yankees George M. Steinbrenner field is located. If, like the flu, the coronavirus disappears as we approach summer, there may be no problem for the baseball season. However, considering the spread of the virus in Florida where it is relatively warm, that may not be the case.
The MLB is already considering a complicated plan to move games from affected areas to other stadiums around the country. However, at the minute, only the clubhouse ban is in place. Expect more information regarding precautions to be taken in the coming days and weeks.