The Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL are being very proactive to ensure that safety remains of utmost importance. Fans may witness unprecedented actions.
Toronto Maple Leafs games have the potential to take a monumental turn. There is a possibility that history is about to be made. For the first time ever, a Leafs game could be played in an empty building.
The recent novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has the world in a panic. The best thing to do is to take precautions against worsening the outbreak. That’s why the biggest sports leagues in the world are putting plans in place to keep people safe. The Maple Leafs are preparing for the coronavirus.
The NHL has already made plans to keep its players and fans safe. They are following the recommendations of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to help stop the spread of the virus. The league has decided that the best thing to do is to close team locker rooms to the media.
That’s not all the NHL is doing. They had already issued a memo for players to limit their contact with fans. The athletes are asked not to high-five fans or make unnecessary contact. That includes using strangers’ pens and taking their items to autograph. Gary Bettman even went a step further, stopping all business-related travel for league employees outside North America.
The NHLPA has also been on alert, making decisions based on the spreading virus. It canceled its annual April meetings with player agents. This is not business as usual in the league.
Switzerland’s national hockey leagues have already taken big steps to help protect everyone involved in the sport. At the end of February, the Swiss government implemented a ban on any event that includes over one thousand people. Hockey leagues did what they needed to ensure their compliance.
The Swiss League and the MySports League in Switzerland played games in empty arenas. This suggests that the idea of the Toronto Maple Leafs playing games to an arena without fans isn’t an outrageous concept. The plan for the Swiss leagues are for playoffs to resume on March 17 should the Federal Council end their ban.
The NBA is also making moves amid the worldwide pandemic. Shams Charania has reported that the league told all 30 basketball teams that they need to each prepare their own coronavirus guidelines. They have asked teams to finalize those plans by Tuesday.
NBA has informed teams that all should have guidelines for coronavirus in place by March 10, such as:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 8, 2020
- Arrangement with infectious disease specialist
- Facility that could conduct testing
- Plan to limit team and arena staff
Teams also encouraged to limit traveling party.
The NBA would like their clubs to identify facilities where they could test for the coronavirus. They would also like to limit who interacts with players, decreasing even the team and arena staff who would have contact with them.
With 437 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, the NBA has also limited access to their locker rooms, following the NHL’s lead. Their proactive approach also includes preparing for games to be played without fans present. Though it might be necessary, it hasn’t been popular with players such as LeBron James.
The Toronto Maple Leafs captain shared his thoughts on the possibility of playing to empty seats. “It’s pretty hard to believe”, John Tavares said when speaking to the media. “As players, we just try to focus on today and what we can control. We know the league in conjunction with the NHLPA is on top of all that. Until further notice, it’s just kinda business as usual. Take precautions and be mindful of what’s going on.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided a list of basic protective measures against the new coronavirus.
They suggest that people wash their hands regularly with soap and water and use alcohol-based sanitizer to keep hands clean.
They recommend everyone maintain a meter distance from anyone who is showing symptoms of illness such as coughing or sneezing. People should avoid touching their own faces and cover their mouths and noses with their arm or tissue when coughing and sneezing.
The WHO asks that anyone who feels unwell should avoid going out in public. The combination of fever, cough, and difficulty breathing should result in seeking medical attention.