Phillies confirm COVID-19 outbreak, shut down Clearwater facilities
On Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies confirmed they were closing their facilities in Clearwater, Fla., following a COVID-19 outbreak.
Per an official club statement, five players and three staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, with 32 different team personnel were awaiting test results as of early Friday afternoon. Eight team employees have already tested negative.
Phillies Managing Partner John Middleton added:
"The Phillies are committed to the health and welfare of our players, coaches and staff as our highest priority, and as a result of these confirmed tests, all facilities in Clearwater have been closed indefinitely to all players, coaches and staff and will remain closed until medical authorities are confident that the virus is under control and our facilities are disinfected."
The franchise also said it's unknown how, if at all, this would affect the team's preparations for the 2020 season.
As Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia noted, this represents the first confirmed outbreak among MLB teams, and it comes at a time when cases in Florida have recently spiked. On Thursday, Orange County mayor Jerry Demings ordered that individuals must wear masks in public settings beginning on Saturday.
Both the NBA and Major League Soccer are scheduled to travel to Orlando to resume their seasons in July.
In May, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the Phillies were one team planning to hold spring training at its home ballpark. That, of course, is dependent on such warmup sessions being necessary ahead of a season.
MLB owners and the MLB Players Association continue to battle over matters such as the number of regular-season games, the size of the postseason tournament and if salaries will be fully prorated.
Earlier this week, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the parties could announce an Opening Day of July 19 if they come to terms on an agreement by the end of Friday (June 19).
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