Pro Baseball Kia and Doosan Suspend Training Due to COVID-19 Impact

Gwangju Kia Champions Field/Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Some professional baseball teams have suspended training due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 24th, the Doosan Bears stated, "A family member of one of our players came into contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. The entire first-team roster is staying at home," adding, "The player did not have direct contact with the confirmed case. One family member living with the player came into contact with a confirmed case at their workplace. The player's family member has completed testing at a screening clinic and is awaiting the results."

On the same day, the Kia Tigers said, "One of the players showed mild fever symptoms when arriving at the baseball stadium," and "The temperature measured before going to the screening clinic for testing dropped to 37.2 degrees Celsius. According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) integrated manual, the player will self-isolate until the test results are available."

The KBO has distributed a COVID-19 response manual to each team. Doosan and Kia made decisions to suspend training and have the entire roster stay at home in accordance with this manual.

The KBO and each team are reportedly making efforts to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by disinfecting stadiums and other measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.