Since the announcement by the NPB to start the season on June 19, the NPB players have been training again. Since yesterday, June 2nd, the teams are playing practice games again but behind closed doors. But after just one day of practice games, two players have been tested positive on COVID19.
Reigning Central League MVP Hayato Sakamoto and Takumi Oshiro, both of the Yomiuri Giants, have been tested positive on COVID19.
To avoid a further spread of the virus, today’s game between the Giants and the Seibu Lions was called shortly before the game would start.
According to Nikkei Asian Review, neither Sakamoto nor Ohshiro, a catcher, have shown symptoms. Experts told the team that the players were infected with the virus some time ago and have already recovered. Still, they will undergo more PCR tests starting on Thursday and return to training as soon as results turn negative.
Between May 29 and May 31, the Giants tested 218 persons and none of the results were positive. On May 2nd, antibodies were found with four persons. Those persons got a PCR test in the evening. And this morning the results of those tests for the two aforementioned players were positive.
Tsukasa Imamura, Giants’ president, said that team members will continue to take PCR tests on a regular basis.
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