Heat using virus-sniffing dogs
Abby, Tina, Happy, Magni become team’s newest decision-makers
Slipping them a $100 probably won’t do the trick, nor a Milk Bone. But when it comes to getting past the metaphoric velvet rope at AmericanAirlines Arena for Miami Heat games, it pays to be on the good side of Abby, Tina, Happy and Magni.
Those, Matthew Jafarian, the Heat’s executive vice president of business strategy, said are the four COVID-detecting dogs the team will use when AmericanAirlines Arena opens to fans on Thursday night for the first time this season.
For now, the Heat’s detection dogs are limited to the breed of Belgian Malinois, but that will be diversified as the team scales up. German shepherds and Jack Russell terriers have also been utilized in such roles.
With the Heat initially opening to attendance of under 2,000, there eventually will be more detection dogs added to the process after the initial six-game run with the extremely limited capacity in the 19,600-seat facility, where mask wearing and social distancing will be prioritized amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The dogs will walk by spectators as they enter, with no specific body part designated.
Of that process, the Heat have noted:
All guests and employees must be screened by the canine team prior to entering.
If anyone in a party is signaled by a canine, all members of the party will not be permitted to enter. The dogs have been specifically trained to identify the active virus, and will not signal if someone entering has received the vaccine.
Parents are allowed to hold children during the
canine screening process.
■ An opt-out of the canine screening is available. The alternative testing method comes at no cost but can take up to 45 minutes. Entry will not be allowed in such cases until cleared by the testing provider.
Ahead of the opening of arena to fans for Thursday night’s visit by the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sun Sentinel forwarded questions to the Heat for additional clarification of the policies that can be found at nba.com/ heat/health-and-safety.
Q: If COVID-19 dog sits, thereby precluding entry, can the party transfer tickets that night? If not, what happens to their tickets: immediate refund or credit to their account?
A: “If the tickets are bought directly from the team or Ticketmaster.com, this will be handled on a case-by-case basis. At the Heat’s discretion, customers will be eligible for either a refund, a credit, or will be offered tickets of equal value to a future game. If tickets are purchased elsewhere, customers should go back to the point of purchase and are subject to that seller’s refund policy.”
Q: Are the detection dogs capable of picking up on the new COVID-19 variants, such as the ones from England and South Africa?
A: “Yes, the variants are not substantially different from each other in odor profile.”
Q: If someone purchases tickets, and then feels (for whatever reason) uncomfortable about protocols, can they return the tickets for the ensuing games for a full refund or credit, or do they have to hope the tickets resell on secondary market?
A: “Guests will be provided plenty of opportunities to learn about the protocols before and at time of purchase. If after purchase they are uncomfortable, we will address on a case-by-case basis.”
Q: When are fans allowed to enter the building, with those who might prefer to be tested (bypassing the COVID-detecting dogs) having a 45-minute wait for results?
A: “Doors for Thursday’s game will open at 7 p.m. Testing will be offered one hour prior to doors opening, up to two hours after tip off.”
Thursday’s game originally was scheduled for 7 p.m. to be broadcast on TNT. With the game against the Clippers removed from the national television schedule, it now is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start, to be broadcast in South Florida on Fox Sports Sun.
Name change
The parent company of Fox Sports Florida announced Wednesday that the broadcast home of the Heat in coming months will transition to the name of Bally Sports Sun. The broadcast home of the Panthers and Marlins will become Bally Sports Florida.
In a release, Sinclair Broadcast group announced, “The Bally Sports regional logos will replace the existing FOX Sports regional logos when the networks officially rebrand in the coming months.”
Bally’s Corporation currently owns and manages 11 casinos across seven states, a horse track, 13 authorized off-track betting licenses in Colorado, and is acquiring the fantasy sports platform Monkey Knife Fight.