SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Less than a week into the Major League Baseball season, and the COVID-19 pandemic is already making an unwelcomed appearance. Despite safety precautions such as masks, social distancing, and fan-less stadiums, the Miami Marlins have had a Coronavirus outbreak in their club house. Just over a dozen members of the team have tested positive for COVID-19, and because of that, MLB is postponing games.
"Every day we're taking risks," says Marlins Manager Don Mattingly. "That's what the players all around the league are doing. You travel all the time, you travel in planes and in buses, you're in different hotels."
Except for a couple of early summer camp COVID cases, the Padres have stayed relatively healthy. But they know the heightened risk this season brings, as they take the field for a sixty game season.
"Yes, there are concerns," says Padres Manager Jayce Tingler. "Concerns that we've had ever since we entered this camp. We understand the risk involved,"
Major League Baseball installed some pandemic safety rules before the season, such as no high fives. But from what we've seen during the first week of the season, these old habits have been hard to break. And while it's no guarantee these new safety rules will keep you COVID free, the Padres have managed to stay pretty healthy.
"We've been getting our test results back every day or two," says Tingler. "It's been a pretty quick turnaround, and honestly, we've been fortunate enough for the majority of us to be negative."
