Five Philadelphia Phillies players and three employees with the National League baseball club tested positive for coronavirus, the team revealed on Friday.
The cases came from the club's spring training headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, which has now been shuttered in light of these positive tests.
Eight Phillies employees have tested negative, while another 12 staff members and 20 big league and minor league players "living in the Clearwater area are in the process of being tested and are awaiting the results," according to a team statement.
“The Phillies are committed to the health and welfare of our players, coaches and staff as our highest priority, and as a result of these confirmed tests, all facilities in Clearwater have been closed indefinitely to all players, coaches and staff and will remain closed until medical authorities are confident that the virus is under control and our facilities are disinfected," Phillies Managing Partner John Middleton said in a statement.
It wasn't immediately clear how this development would impact ongoing labor talks between Major League Baseball and the players union, in hopes of re-starting the season that was halted before Opening Day due to the pandemic.
"In terms of the implications of this outbreak on the Phillies’ 2020 season, the club declines comment, believing that it is too early to know," according to the Phillies statement.
MLB suspended all preseason games on March 12 and many players have stayed close to their teams' spring training headquarters to work out in hopes of a 2020 restart.
This is a developing story, please refresh here for updates.
