Major League Baseball is considering creating “bubbles” in three cities to keep players isolated from the coronavirus during the coming playoffs, reports say.
In emulation of the two “bubbles” instituted by the NHL to assure player safety from the virus, pro baseball is considering setting up quarantined areas in three cities, including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, according to TMZ Sports.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the league is still mulling the idea, but the playoffs are scheduled to begin on September 27.
Last week, one team president put it very clearly: "Our only chance is to start planning a postseason bubble." While the talks are preliminary, as @BillShaikin reported earlier, they're real, and they've got a significant amount of backing around the sport.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 11, 2020
Pro hockey has created its two-city system, one in Edmonton and the other in Toronto. The system includes designated hotels where each team is assigned an entire floor isolated just for them.
The NHL has proudly reported that the league has thus far seen zero new coronavirus cases.
Still, even with the plan, calls were made for Canada to issue exemptions to its coronavirus rules to accommodate the league.
Of course, the whole “bubble” idea was created by the NBA, which pulled all its teams into the Disney resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where the entire league has been quarantined in one spot to help the league remain COVID free.
Still, despite the “bubble,” quite a few pro basketball players have contracted the virus.
At least 25 players have tested positive for the virus, though all seem to be asymptomatic.
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