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Monday 2 March 2020

U.S.-based

pro sports CLUB

leagues

monitoring

coronavirus HEAD

outbreak

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Sports Writer
Major North American pro-
fessional sports leagues are
talking to health officials
and informing teams about
the coronavirus outbreak
that has led to the first re-
ported death in the U.S.
Officials from the National
Basketball Association, Na-
tional Hockey League and
Major League Baseball say
they are all consulting with
the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
and other organizations on Alex Bowman dominates
a regular basis about CO-
VID-19. Washington State
reported Saturday that a en route to Auto Club win
man in his 50s died from
the virus. There are no im-
mediate plans to cancel or
postpone games or have Alex Bowman celebrates on the roof of his
them held in empty sta- race car after winning a NASCAR Cup Series
diums or arenas. Some of auto race Sunday, March 1, 2020 in Fontana,
those contingencies have
been taken in other coun- Calif.
tries, including Italy, where Associated Press
soccer matches were post- Page 23
poned until May.
Pro sports in the U.S. for now
are going on as sched-
uled, though leagues are
closely monitoring the situ-
ation. The NBA and NHL
are in their regular seasons
and MLB in spring training
in Arizona and Florida with
Opening Day less than a
month way.
"The health and safety of
our employees, teams,
players and fans is para-
mount," the NBA said in a
statement. "We are coordi-
nating with our teams and
consulting with the CDC
and infectious disease spe-
cialists on the coronavirus
and continue to monitor
the situation closely."

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