Seattle Mariners Won’t Open Season At Home Amid State’s Coronavirus Restrictions
The Seattle Mariners mentioned Wednesday they’re working with the Main League Baseball commissioner’s workplace on different plans for its March dwelling video games after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee banned massive group occasions in a number of counties in his state by the tip of this month in an try and gradual the unfold of coronavirus.
It means the Mariners received’t play at dwelling for his or her dwelling opener at downtown Seattle’s T-Cell Park, set for March 26 in opposition to the Texas Rangers, which kicks off a seven-game homestand. It’s one among 15 video games on baseball’s opening day.
The transfer will increase the probability that extra groups will likely be impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, which the World Well being Group immediately formally labeled as a worldwide pandemic. Already in Europe, main sporting occasions are being performed in empty stadiums to reduce dangers. Along with taking part in with out crowds, U.S. leagues are additionally pondering transferring video games to less-impacted cities.
Washington has been probably the most impacted U.S. state within the present coronavirus local weather, with the vast majority of U.S. deaths coming from King County, the place the stadium is situated. Public well being officers reported 74 new circumstances Tuesday, bringing the overall to 190, with 22 deaths.
Inslee introduced bans of gatherings of greater than 250 individuals in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties by the tip of March.
COPYRIGHT_BP: Published on https://bingepost.com/seattle-mariners-wont-open-season-at-home-amid-states-coronavirus-restrictions/58434/ by Hilda Workman on 2020-03-11T20:20:37.000Z
“Whereas we hope to be again to taking part in baseball in Seattle as quickly as doable, the well being and security of our neighborhood is crucial consideration,” the staff mentioned in an announcement immediately.
The transfer comes after a number of U.S. professional sports activities leagues – MLB, the NBA, NHL and Main League Soccer — already collectively agreed to briefly restricted entry to locker rooms, with solely gamers and important employees allowed.