Pro Sports Leagues Limit Locker Room Access To Players And Essential Staff In Wake Of Coronavirus

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, four major North American pro sports leagues announced they will limit locker room access by restricting the media and non-essential staff.

Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Hockey League (NHL) issued the following joint statement Monday evening:

“After consultation with infectious disease and public health experts, and given the issues that can be associated with close contact in pre- and post-game settings, all team locker rooms and clubhouses will be open only to players and essential employees of teams and team facilities until further notice. Media access will be maintained in designated locations outside of the locker room and clubhouse setting. These temporary changes will be effective beginning with tomorrow’s games and practices.

“We will continue to closely monitor this situation and take any further steps necessary to maintain a safe and welcoming environment.”

Before Monday, some pro sports teams had already closed their locker rooms, while others had not, The Washington Post reported.

With NCAA March Madness heating up, it remains unclear if college locker rooms will be closed to media during the NCAA Tournament. Traditionally, they are open and a throng of reporters enters in the days leading up to games, and immediately after games. It’s common for large groups of reporters to be in college locker rooms as the NCAA Tournament progresses.

Players and coaches are also made available on a dais in a larger interview room, and that will continue to be the case whether or not locker rooms are closed.

The NCAA also said Sunday it planned to continue to hold the tournament at all 14 sites, including the First Four in Dayton, with fans in attendance.

“At this time, we are definitively planning on running the tournament at all 14 sites with fans, from the First Four in Dayton through the Final Four in Atlanta,” said Senior Vice President of NCAA Basketball Dan Gavitt.

A spokesman for the Big East Tournament in New York this week said no decision had yet been made on whether locker rooms will be open or closed at Madison Square Garden.

The tournament announced it planned to go on with fans in the arena, though.