米国でのプロスポーツ再開、カギは「無観客」

【ロサンゼルスＡＦＰ＝時事】米国立アレルギー感染症研究所のアンソニー・ファウチ所長は15日、北米でのプロスポーツリーグを再開するためのカギは、無観客の競技場で試合を行うことだと語った。（写真は米国立アレルギー感染症研究所のアンソニー・ファウチ所長）
　新型コロナウイルスのパンデミック（世界的な大流行）における米国の対策調整を支援しているファウチ氏は、信頼度の高い抗体検査と迅速な結果もスポーツ再開には極めて重要であると述べている。
　写真・動画共有アプリの「スナップチャット」で放送された番組の中でファウチ氏は「開催する方法はある」と発言。「競技場には誰も入れない。試合を行いたいところにある大きなホテルに（選手たちを）泊まらせる」
　「選手をしっかりと観察下に置き続け、選手同士や家族が感染しないよう、毎週のように検査を受けさせる。そしてシーズン終わりまでプレーをさせる」
　これまでに米国で２万８０００人がなくなっている新型コロナウイルス感染症（ＣＯＶＩＤ-１９）により、国内のスポーツリーグは行き詰っている。
　米プロバスケットボール協会（ＮＢＡ）はファウチ氏の提言したような形式で、ラスベガスかバハマで今季を再開させることを思案している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/04/17-14:53）

The top US health and infectious disease specialist says the key to reopening professional sports leagues in America is to have the athletes play games in front of empty stadiums.
Anthony Fauci, who is helping to coordinate the US response to the global coronavirus pandemic, said reliable antibody testing and fast results are also crucial to the return of sports.
There's a way of doing that, Fauci told US Snapchat show Good Luck America. Nobody comes to the stadiums. Put (athletes) in big hotels, wherever you want to play.
Keep them very well-surveilled, but have them tested like every week and make sure they don't wind up infecting each other or their families, and just let them play the season out.
Professional sports leagues are in gridlock due to the pandemic that has so far killed nearly 28,000 Americans.
The NBA is pondering a similar model for getting their 2019-20 season restarted in either Las Vegas or the Bahamas.
The NBA shut down on March 11 after Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, and the NHL, Major League Soccer and the PGA Tour quickly followed suit.
The PGA is reportedly considering a return on June 11 without fans in attendance, starting with the Texas Open, which was originally scheduled for the weekend of May 21-24.
The matches would not be played in front of fans, and the PGA may have to play on gallery-free courses for at least the months of June and July.
Eight Tour events were postponed on March 17. The PGA Championship and Masters were rescheduled for later in the season.
Major League Baseball's 2020 season, which was due to start March 26, is on hold, as is the LPGA tour and motor racing, while the NFL is just hoping it will be able to start its season on time in September.
New York mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday he doesn't want to see large-scale sporting events and concerts with fans come back for a long time.
Those big events should be one of the last things we should bring back online. The last thing we should do is gather 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 people in one place, de Blasio told CNN. That is the opposite of social distancing, so I think it could take quite a while.