The Toronto Blue Jays shut down their spring training complex Friday after a player presented symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the second big league team to close their Florida camp because of the coronavirus.
The Blue Jays’ announcement came hours after the Philadelphia Phillies shuttered their site after five players and three staff members tested positive for the virus. The Phillies’ camp in Clearwater is about five miles from Toronto’s complex.
The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning had also closed their facilities after five team employees tested positive for COVID-19. It was not clear how many Lightning players had tested positive.
The person spoke to The AP on Friday on the condition of anonymity because the NHL and the team are not announcing the closure. The NHL release a statement Friday, saying over 200 players have been tested and 11 tested positive. No names of the players who have tested positive will be released.
“All players who have tested positive have been self-isolated and are following CDC and Health Canada protocols. The NHL will provide a weekly update on the number of tests administered to players and the results of those tests. The league will not be providing information on the identity of the players or their clubs,” read the statement.
According to a report from Postmedia, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews is among those who tested positive for COVID-19. The 22-year-old forward is reportedly in quarantine at his home in Arizona.
Citing two unnamed NHL sources, the report also says goaltender Frederik Anderson who had been spending time with Matthews tested negative for the virus.
The Maple Leafs and Matthews have yet to comment on the report.
The Blue Jays said personnel at their camp have undergone testing. The club said it was following protocols established by its medical team and Major League Baseball.
Philadelphia and Toronto said their camps were indefinitely closed.
MLB players and owners are trying to reach a deal to start the season amid the pandemic, including health protocols. Some players had been recently been working out at spring training sites while practicing social distancing.
The sides had hoped to have players begin testing Tuesday and then begin a second round of spring training on June 26. Most teams would likely hold those workouts at their home ballparks, rather than at their spring camps in Florida and Arizona.
The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning also closed their facilities Thursday after five team employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press.
It was not clear how many Lightning players tested positive.
The closure comes some two weeks after players were allowed to return to their respective facilities to take part in voluntary on- and off-ice workouts. Players were allowed to skate in groups of up to six at a time.
On Thursday, there were reports that a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ coaching staff had tested positive for the virus, and two of the team’s assistants have been quarantined.
Cases of COVID-19 have been on the rise in Florida, with the state posting a record number of daily cases for the third day in a row.
