Dr. Fauci cautions against rushing sports back from hiatus
As professional sports leagues begin ramping up plans to return from their hiatuses during the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns remain about the viability and safety of these returns.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is cautioning pro sports organizations that a return may not be realistic in 2020 unless the safety of players, employees, and fans can be guaranteed, according to James Wagner and Ken Belson of The New York Times.
"Safety, for the players and for the fans, trumps everything," Fauci said. "If you can't guarantee safety, then, unfortunately, you're going to have to bite the bullet and say, 'We may have to go without this sport for this season.'"
One of the biggest hurdles for the return of pro sports remains the lack of access to adequate COVID-19 testing. Fauci said that progress has been made in the development of tests, but there are not enough yet to support sports leagues.
He also expressed concern that rushing sports and any other industries back into action too soon could result in a major setback in the effort to combat the spread of the virus.
"If we let our desire to prematurely get back to normal, we can only get ourselves right back in the same hole we were in a few weeks ago," he said.
It was reported Tuesday that the MLB was considering a three-division realignment for the 2020 season, where teams would play in their home ballparks against natural, geographical rivals to reduce travel.
Optimism for a salvaged MLB season has remained high, with a general target for Opening Day falling somewhere between mid-June and July 4.
Fauci reiterated that any kind of return would need to happen carefully and gradually, something that would ideally only happen when infection levels have been further reduced.
"I would love to be able to have all sports back," Fauci said. "But as a health official and a physician and a scientist, I have to say, right now, when you look at the country, we're not ready for that yet."
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YESTERDAY
MAY 18, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Bolduc | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Greenway | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Beck Malenstyn | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Owen Power | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zach Benson | - | - | - | |
| Bowen Byram | - | - | - | |
| Cole Caufield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||