Start of the 2020 NPB season at stake

With the rapid spreading of the corona virus, the 2020 baseball season in Japan may be at stake. Two upcoming practice games between the Yomiuri Giants and the Yakult Swallows will be played without fans in an attempt to prevent a further spreading of the virus.

The two games are scheduled for the upcoming weekend. Due to the threat, the Giants do not want to take a risk.

Like the Japanese Soccer League, the J-League, Nippon Professional Baseball is considering to postpone games in order to prevent the corona virus from spreading.
The NPB is expected to make a decision on this in a special meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Just like the virus, the panic is spreading as a fourth person deceased on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that is situated in the harbor of Tokyo. The new victim was an 80-year old person.

As both sports leagues are taking the initiative, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has yet to put any restrictions on outdoor events in the wake of the corona virus outbreak.