Sporting Events Can Spark Covid Outbreaks, CDC Finds

Topline

An amateur ice hockey game in Florida might have fueled a small Covid-19 outbreak in June, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Thursday that represents one of the first formally documented cases of the coronavirus spreading through sports, raising new questions as U.S. sports leagues press forward with their seasons.

Key Facts

Key Background

After states loosened their social distancing rules over the summer, many professional and amateur sports leagues eagerly resumed play. Despite the extra precautions most leagues have added, experts and CDC officials warned that athletes can still transmit the virus, especially in sports like football and hockey where close contact with teammates and competitors is almost impossible to avoid. But Thursday’s CDC study is among the only formal looks into whether sports games can become superspreader events. 

Tangent

Several NFL teams have reported coronavirus cases in recent weeks, forcing the league to postpone some games. The Tennessee Titans are the hardest-hit team, with around two dozen infected players and staff. There is little evidence of any players catching the virus from an opposing team, but some observers worry that wider outbreaks within individual teams will become hard to avoid as players and coaches continue to traverse the country.

Section Title

The Sports Restart Has a Plan for Everything—Except a Coronavirus Outbreak (Wall Street Journal)

Sports cause outbreaks. Restart sports anyway? (Minneapolis Star Tribune)