A COVID-19 test.
If Greg Abbott does nothing else, he should be saluted by scientists, the medical profession and infectious disease researchers for the case study he is giving them. After all, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has taken away mask mandates and has opened businesses without restrictions in the state even though the COVID-19 pandemic has not magically disappeared. One of the businesses that will take full advantage of Abbott revoking the mask and distancing mandate is Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers franchise. If it is safe for Abbott, a man with a law degree who probably has not spent much time peering into microscopes or researching infectious diseases, then it has to be safe for everyone who attends the Texas Rangers final two pre-season games and the season opener against Toronto on April 5th. Ironically, the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team cannot play for the foreseeable future its home games in Toronto because the American-Canadian border has been locked down because of COVID-19 potential spread. Blue Jays home games will be played at the franchise’s Dunedin, Florida spring training site. The Texas Rangers ballpark can hold up to 40,518 customers. Rangers’ management is asking customers to mask up which flies in the face of Governor Abbott’s order.
The Rangers management plans to reduce capacity after opening day depending on how many tickets have been sold on a daily basis. Major League Baseball has issued its guidelines or recommendation to its 30 franchises to allow customers into ballparks in 2021. All of the guidelines are subject to local mandates. MLB officials are requiring teams to enforce social distancing and mask wearing but are not asking for vaccine cards or requiring negative COVID-19 test results. But there is money to be made and MLB is living with the virus. Meanwhile health officials are watching.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
