Coronavirus case rates surge in cities home to MLB teams
As MLB staggers toward return, coronavirus cases hit new highs in key states.
There is no safe harbor for MLB these days – not at the negotiating table, not in the court of public opinion and, increasingly, not in the markets it hoped to lean on as it returned to the field amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tuesday, the states of Florida and Arizona, home to three franchises and all 30 spring training facilities, reported their highest single-day total of positive tests for the coronavirus – nearly 2,800 in Florida and 2,400 in Arizona.
Florida’s seven-day average of 1,928 new cases represents a 61% increase over the previous week and nearly a 150% increase since May 18, when the state allowed gyms and restaurants to operate at 50% capacity, an order excluding hard-hit Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
On June 5, Florida moved fully into Phase 2 of its reopening. Pinellas County, home to the Tampa Bay Rays, has seen its 14-day daily case average leap from 19.7 on June 1 to 75.5 on June 15, a 282% increase.
In Arizona, where the rest of MLB’s 15 teams train and the league once evinced thoughts of hosting all 30 teams in a controlled environment, COVID-19 cases are climbing relentlessly. The state’s current seven-day average of 1,571 daily cases has quadrupled from an average of 338 three weeks ago.
All of this comes amid the backdrop of a pitched battle over compensation between MLB and the MLB Players’ Association, with Commissioner Rob Manfred saying last week he was “100% sure” there would be a 2020 season but by Monday expressing doubts an agreement would be reached.
While MLBPA executive director Tony Clark challenged Manfred to exercise his right to unilaterally implement a 2020 schedule, getting the sides back to the bargaining table would be imperative to finalize health and safety protocols. The sides have not yet finalized a draft that originated from a 67-page MLB document, according to a baseball official with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The official spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing.
The league has spoken with governors of the 17 states with MLB franchises and sent the protocols to individuals in the state designated by the governor. The league’s 30 clubs have either contacted local or county officials or will do so after a second draft of protocols.
A potential second wave of the virus has in part spurred the league to push for a shorter season, in order to protect lucrative playoff TV revenue. But in Arizona,
statistical and anecdotal evidence from the first wave is already alarming.
The state hit its peaks on Sunday in new COVID-related intensive-care occupants (464) and emergency-room visits (931). Monday saw a new high of 1,506 COVID-related inpatients and highs in ICU beds and ventilator usage.
Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association and former state health director, cautioned at a Monday news conference that quality of care might soon suffer as the state nears “surge” mode.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who on May 12 extended an invitation to all major sports leagues to reopen in his state while lifting the state’s stay-at-home order, says that a second such order is “not under discussion.”
More than half of Arizona’s 39,097 confirmed COVID-19 cases are in Phoenix’s
Maricopa County, home of the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field and the 15 spring training complexes that stretch from Mesa to Surprise.
While testing has generally increased nationwide, the hot spots of greatest interest to MLB are showing higher positivity rates. Florida’s has increased from 3.6% to 4.2% from early May to early June. Arizona’s positivity rate leaped from 5% the week of May 3 to 12% the week of May 31, where it has held steady.
The current surge of positives may eventually be correlated in part to a surge in both tourism and nightlife over Memorial Day weekend, when partygoers locally and from out of state packed the Phoenix area’s clubs.
While Arizona and are de facto “capitals” for baseball given their facilities and the hundreds of players who live there year-round, other key states’ metrics are also trending poorly. Texas joined Arizona and Florida on Tuesday in reporting its biggest single-day case total of 2,622. That’s the fourth day among the last 15 the state has raised its single-day total.
In California, home to five teams, the seven-day average reached 3,130 daily cases this week, a 47% hike from the 2,135 recorded three weeks ago.
Florida and Arizona reported Tuesday their highest single-day total of positive tests for the coronavirus.