The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention announced that people throughout the U.S. "should avoid events of 50 people or more for the next eight weeks." That would mean "no public events through early May" (NBCNEWS.com, 3/15). The NBA, MLS and NHL all suspended their seasons at least through March, but the "initial 30-day timelines the leagues seemed to be targeting are now looking like an improbability." Even the idea of playing in empty venues is "now looking unlikely," as two rosters of teams and support staff "would surpass the 50-person limit the CDC is recommending" (USA TODAY, 3/15). There is also "serious doubt" about holding "other major U.S. sporting events as planned, such as the Kentucky Derby in early May" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/16).
Sources said that NBA owners and execs are "bracing for the possibility of mid-to-late June as a best-case scenario for the league's return." There are fears of a "season completely lost, especially based on what some experts see as the slow response" of the U.S. to "flatten the curve of the coronavirus and make testing available on a widespread basis" (ESPN.com, 3/15).
