DUNEDIN, Fla. – The Toronto Blue Jays shut down their spring training complex Friday after a player presented symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the second big league team to close their Florida camp because of the coronavirus.
The Blue Jays’ announcement came hours after the Philadelphia Phillies shuttered their site after five players and three staff members tested positive for the virus. The Phillies’ camp in Clearwater is about five miles from Toronto’s complex.
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The Blue Jays said personnel at their camp have undergone testing. The club said it was following protocols established by its medical team and Major League Baseball.
Philadelphia and Toronto said their camps were indefinitely closed.
MLB players and owners are trying to reach a deal to start the season amid the pandemic, including health protocols. Some players had been recently been working out at spring training sites while practicing social distancing.
The sides had hoped to have players begin testing Tuesday and then begin a second round of spring training on June 26. Most teams would likely hold those workouts at their home ballparks, rather than at their spring camps in Florida and Arizona.
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