Friday's coronavirus roundup: Milwaukee Bucks offer arena to distribute masks
The Milwaukee Bucks arena will serve as a distribution site for 2½ million non-surgical face masks.
The Bucks opened Fiserv Forum to speed up the delivery of masks to the community. The distribution is part of MaskUpMKE, a local initiative.
Healthy individuals are invited to sign up for a volunteer shift and pick up a box of face-covering kits at the Fiserv Forum’s loading dock, starting Saturday. Kits contain instructions and materials to quickly make 700 face masks. Volunteers then can return the boxes to Fiserv Forum.
Volunteers will answer questions to ensure they’re not exhibiting coronavirus symptoms.
After a 72-hour quarantine period, the face coverings will be distributed under the guidance of the Medical College of Wisconsin. Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity also will assist in the distribution of the masks to those most at risk of contacting the coronavirus.
Rebel Converting, which manufactures hospital-grade disinfectant wipes, is making and donating the masks.
GM expects MLB season
Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo expects there to be a 2020 major league season.
Baseball has been on hold since last month because of the coronavirus pandemic, right along with most sports and other aspects of everyday life.
Rizzo said on a conference call with reporters: “I’m optimistic, as is the commissioner, that we’ll have baseball in 2020. I’m upbeat about that. The most important thing is to do it in the right way and the safest manner we can. But I believe that we will have baseball.”
The GM said the owners of the World Series champions have committed to giving Nationals employees full salary and benefits through the end of May.
Golf cancellations
The U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior have been canceled. That makes six USGA championships that have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Junior Amateur was to be played July 20-25 at Hazeltine National outside Minneapolis. The U.S. Girls’ Junior was scheduled for July 13-18 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The USGA says it wouldn’t be able to hold qualifying for its two premier junior championships because of health guidelines. State associations were to hold 100 qualifying events in 41 states between May and July.
“Given that juniors in most parts of the country are not physically attending school at this time, we did not feel comfortable asking them to compete in qualifying events,” said John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s senior managing director of championships.
Meanwhile, qualifying for six other amateur events — including the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur — have been delayed until May 18.
Cape Cod called off
The Cape Cod League, the top summer competition for college baseball players, canceled its 2020 season.
The 10-team league said its executive committee made the decision in a unanimous vote “based on the health concerns and safety needs of all involved.”
“The league determined it would be impossible to guarantee the safety of players, coaches, umpires, host families, volunteers and fans during this unprecedented health crisis,” it said.
The season had been scheduled to start June 13 and the playoffs on Aug. 4. The league was founded in 1885 and had not missed a season since 1945, the last year of World War II.