Taiwan’s CPBL preparing for live attendance

It won’t quite be business as usual, to say the least. The turnstiles won’t be rotating quite as many times as normal. And there will be restrictions on those that show up to see a ballgame in the flesh. Fans will not only have to provide their names and undergo temperature screening on their way in, but will need to maintain social distancing and don masks during the contest.

The CPBL became the first professional baseball league to launch after the coronavirus crisis halted play around the world. And it remains a clear success story, with no indication that play has interfered with efforts to protect the health and welfare of participants or the broader public. It’s also no longer alone in staging ballgames, with the Korea Baseball Organization kicking off play overnight.

Though it’s tempting to interpret these developments as cause for optimism, the sobering reality is that the situation is far different in Taiwan and Korea than in North America. Those countries have only reached the point of staging sports — and, now, allowing fans to congregate — after all but fully stomping out the spread of COVID-19.