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Sports fans are going to love this update from Dr. Anthony Fauci. In an interview with Peter Hamby on Snapchat, Fauci said that sports can return by the summer and heading into the fall despite the coronavirus pandemic with some very specific guidelines.
Particularly, Fauci says major sports leagues should be able to return as long as they are not playing in crowded stadiums that are packed with fans.
“Nobody comes to the stadium. Put them in big hotels, wherever you want to play. Keep them very well surveilled, have them tested every week. And make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family and just let them play the season out,” Fauci said.
“People say, ‘Well, you can’t play without spectators. Well, I think you’d get enough buy-in from people who are dying to see a baseball game. Particularly me, I mean, I’m living in Washington. We have the world champion Washington Nationals. I want to see them play again.”
The 74-year-old Fauci has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and one of the most respected voices during the coronavirus pandemic. Fauci, who has advised six presidents, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2008.
The coronavirus outbreak has led to the cancellation or postponing of many large events including The Masters, NCAA Tournament, Coachella, SXSW, the Winter X Games, Stagecoach, Ultra Music Festival in Miami, and more. The NBA, NHL, and MLS have temporarily suspended their seasons.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 26,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
