Pirates Wipe Down Entire Spring Training Facility to Combat Coronavirus

Dudes won't be leading the majors in much of anything this season, but they're one-up in an extremely vital category.

The Pittsburgh Pirates took no chances when they got the news that a local resident in the Bradenton area had tested positive for the coronavirus strain Covid-19.

They went into full-fumigation mode and called in the professionals to deep clean their entire Spring Training facility, accelerating to DefCon 1 against the pandemic that's threatening to break out.

 

The corona family of viruses are so named because under a microscope, they appear to be sprouting crowns. They've appeared in pandemics before. For example:

• The Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012,
• The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002, and of note to sports fans,
• The Spanish Flu outbreak that wound up cancelling the 1919 Stanley Cup.

So the sports world is justifiably taking Covid-19 seriously. It'd be advisable if more fans joined in that concern, too:

 

Here's the deal:

• There's no cure yet for Covid-19,
• Finding a vaccine looks like it'll take at least a year, and
• While it's people with weakened immune systems and/or respiratory issues who are dying from it,
• Everyone can be a carrier, which means
• They can spread the virus to more people who are susceptible to dying from it.

 

It's also why sports organizations worldwide are taking precautionary action. They include:

• The Tokyo Olympics: The International Olympic Committee continues to express confidence that the Summer Games will go on as scheduled, but a senior Japanese official said the contract stipulates only that the event be held at some point in 2020, leaving open the possibility of postponement.
• NBA Africa League: The launch of the Basketball Africa League, the NBA's first attempt at operating a league outside of North America, has been postponed. It was supposed to kick off next Fri 13 Mar.

 

• Formula 1: Travel restrictions have been put in place by Bahrain and Vietnam -- hosts of the second (Sun 22 Mar) and third (April 5) stops of the season -- and races will not be held if any teams are denied entry. In addition, the Chinese Grand Prix (Sun 19 Apr) has already been postponed.
• Soccer: Multiple matches in Italy, China, South Korea and other countries have been postponed, and Valencia (Spain) will play its home Champions League match against Atalanta next week behind closed doors.

On Mon 2 Mar, the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL held a conference call to discuss contingency plans. With March Madness on the horizon, the NCAA has set up a Covid-19 advisory panel, as well.

 

Currently, no sports organization on these shores has gone above and beyond the call like the Pirates.

Dudes know the ramifications of what's at stake in a pandemic.

 

The example's been set.

Take heed.