Major League Baseball players traveling back to New York for the start of spring training and the truncated 2020 season will not be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo, alongside New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, announced a joint travel advisory on Wednesday morning that would force those “traveling from states with significant community spread of COVID” to isolate for two weeks.
Such a two-week layoff would force ballplayers to miss the spring training reporting date of July 1 that was agreed upon by the union and the league on Tuesday.
Members of both the New York Mets and Yankees have spent time during the quarantine in Florida near the teams’ usual spring-training facilities in Port St. Lucie and Tampa.
Cuomo cited “health protocols” that have been worked out with both teams to ensure safe travel despite Florida seeing a recent spike in coronavirus cases.
“The Yankees and Mets have been in touch with Governor Cuomo’s office today and will work with the N.Y. State Health Department on a continuing basis to coordinate the return of players from Florida to train in New York next week,” the Mets and Yankees said in a joint statement. “Our two teams, as well as the State Health Commissioner, will work under Major League Baseball’s protocols and guidelines. We are all excited to bring baseball back to New York. Thank you, Governor Cuomo.”
The COVID-19 spike in the area prompted Cuomo last week to announce that both the Mets and Yankees would move their spring trainings from Florida to New York, which will last three weeks before a truncated 2020 MLB season begins on either July 23 or 24.
