The entire world is dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak and it has led to one country making a big decision when it comes to their sporting events. On Wednesday, it was announced Italy is banning fans from attending games. Teams can still play, but they will play in front of an empty stadium for one month.
“Official: new COVID decree measures here in Italy,” sports reporter Fabrizio Romano wrote on Twitter. “All sports events – also Serie A – can only be done behind closed doors for 30 days. No more fans in the stadiums. The measures will be effective until April 3.”
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When it comes to coronavirus, Italy has been hit the worst. According to Aljazeera.com, 41 new deaths were reported in the country and the death toll is now at 148. It’s the second-most deaths in the world behind China, the country to first report Coronavirus at the end of last year. The virus has hit all 22 regions of Italy, which has led to the country producing an $8.4 billion rescue plan.
As for the U.S., there are no plans to ban fans from sporting events, but that doesn’t mean the sports leagues aren’t paying attention to what’s going on everywhere else. The NFL recently announced it’s “closely monitoring” the situation.
“We are closely monitoring developments and have been in contact with The World Health Organization, CDC and the NFL-NFLPA medical experts at the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON) Program for Infection Prevention,” the statement read per NFL.com. “We will continue those discussions throughout our offseason.”
The next big event for the NFL is the draft which will take place in Las Vegas from April 23-25. The regular season doesn’t begin until September.
There are over 100 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. with 11 deaths. The New York Times recently announced the symptoms of the disease and what should you do if you feel sick.
“Symptoms of the infection include fever, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, and gastrointestinal problems or diarrhea,” The New York Times wrote. “Serious cases cause lung lesions and pneumonia. But milder cases may resemble the flu or a cold, making detection difficult.”
“If you think you’re sick, stay home, except to get medical care. If you have symptoms, the C.D.C recommends that you call a medical professional if you have recently been in an area with a coronavirus outbreak, or have had close contact with someone who has been to such an area.”
