Don’t expect any Bay Area sports teams to play in front of fans this summer.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters Tuesday that it’s “unlikely” the state will allow mass gatherings in June, July and August as it tries to limit the coronavirus’ (COVID-19) spread enough to slowly lift restrictions.
"The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine,” Newsom said in his press conference. “Large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands [or even] 10s of thousands of strangers across every conceivable difference -- health and otherwise -- is not in the cards based upon our current guidelines and current expectations.”
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Newsom said "things can change radically" if a vaccine is developed "earlier than we anticipated" and community testing appropriately ramps up.
The Governor unveiled six criteria Tuesday that must be met for California to modify its stay-at-home order, which has been in effect since March 19:
- The ability to test, monitor, isolate and support people who have tested positive or been exposed
- The ability to protect those most at risk of infection
- Hospitals and health systems’ ability to handle potential surges in cases
- Developing “therapeutics” to meet demand
- Enabling schools, businesses and child-care facilities to enforce and support physical distancing
- Knowing when to reinstitute stay-at-home orders and other measures designed to limit the coronavirus’ spread
"There is no light switch here, it's more like a dimmer," Newsom said (H/T CNN). "I know you want the timeline, but we can't get ahead of ourselves and dream of regretting. Let's not make the mistake of pulling the plug too early, as much as we want to."
San Francisco Giants
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The NBA and NHL seasons have been suspended since mid-March, while MLB and MLS postponed the beginning of its respective seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic. Newsom said on April 4 he was “not anticipating” the NFL season beginning this fall with fans in the stands in California following President Donald Trump’s reported insistence to sports commissioners that the season would start on time.
"Right now, I’m just focusing on the immediate,” Newsom said at the time, “but that’s not something I anticipate happening in the next few months.”
There are over 600,000 confirmed cases in the United States as of this writing, based on NBC News reporting, and more than 29,000 people have died.