Major League Baseball is making some updates to its coronavirus policy in the wake of the Miami Marlins’ outbreak, and one of them involves having a designated person who will remain with the team to assure all health and safety protocols are being followed.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that MLB has informed all teams they must have a coronavirus compliance officer who will travel with the team and assure all proper measures are being taken. Those measures include mandating the use of surgical masks rather than cloth face coverings. Players have also been encouraged to not travel outside of their hotels on road trips except for games.
MLB is also looking into ways to strengthen its contact tracing program. While the coronavirus outlines are a 113-page document, the league has not specifically addressed how another outbreak like the one the Marlins experienced would be handled. That is intentional, according to Passan, as league officials want to maintain the ability to be flexible.
The outbreak with the Marlins has led to several games being postponed, and the MLB Players Association is seeking several significant rule changes to protect players going forward.
