It appears the Toronto Blue Jays have followed the Philadelphia Phillies as it concerns coronavirus outbreaks among MLB clubs.
Both the Phillies and Blue Jays closed Florida facilities ahead of the weekend out of COVID-19 fears. Unlike with Philadelphia, however, Toronto had only one suspected coronavirus case at the time.
That's no longer the case. Both Sportsnet's Shi Davidi and TSN's Scott Mitchell reported that multiple Blue Jays players and staff returned positive tests.
Positives related to shutdown in Dunedin last Friday.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) June 24, 2020
Can confirm a number of #BlueJays players and staff in Dunedin have tested positive for COVID-19.@ShiDavidi on it first.
— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) June 24, 2020
While Wednesday's update isn't surprising, it further complicates matters for members of an organization that currently has no baseball home. As Davidi noted, the Blue Jays are hopeful to start the regular season, currently scheduled to begin in late July, by playing home games in Toronto.
Adds another layer of complication right now for #BlueJays in their planning. Dunedin is most straight-forward option for training camp, but Florida isn't where you want to be. Team still hopes to play home games in Toronto.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) June 24, 2020
However, quarantine guidelines for individuals entering Canada from the United States may temporarily relocate the team back to Florida or to a different state. As things stand on June 24, players would be asked to self-isolate for 14 days upon their arrivals to any Canadian city.
The New York Mets and New York Yankees were given assurances on Wednesday that players returning to in-market facilities from states with high-infection rates, such as Florida, aren't subject to requested 14-day quarantines.
Over the weekend, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that coronavirus spikes and outbreaks throughout Florida and other minor league markets led to MLB clubs choosing to conduct spring training 2.0 sessions at home ballparks.
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