Professional baseball is to resume in strict “bubbles” without spectators, after the season was put on hold in May due to a COVID-19 outbreak, CPBL officials said on Friday.
The Central Epidemic Command Center approved the league’s plan to resume the season, as it eases restrictions amid a level 3 COVID-19 alert.
Two games are slated for Tuesday, and the league tomorrow is to hold its mid-season draft, which would be online this year, CPBL commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said in a statement.
“We want to thank the government and Taiwanese for their efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 situation, and for the easing of epidemic prevention measures. This has enabled the CPBL to resume games, fulfilling the wishes of players and fans in Taiwan,” Tsai said.
On Tuesday, the Uni-President Lions are to host the Rakuten Monkeys in Tainan, while the Wei Chuan Dragons are to face the Fubon Guardians in Yunlin County’s Douliou City (斗六), picking up from when the season was suspended on May 15.
League officials said they would announce more games as they negotiate with local city governments over the use of ballparks.
Under the “bubble,” each team would travel together, including players, coaches and staff, and stay in hotels to minimize contact with outsiders, the league said.
Preliminary measures are set for no fans, cheerleaders or press at the games, except for broadcasting crews, it added.
The teams most affected would be the Wei Chuan Dragons and Fubon Guardians, as they are based in Taipei and New Taipei City respectively, but would be moved south to Douliou City and Kaohsiung.
The other three clubs would host games at their home ballparks, with the Monkeys in Taoyuan, CTBC Brothers in Taichung and the Lions in Tainan, as they have received preliminary approval from their respective city governments, officials said.
Meanwhile, officials at Taiwan’s governing body for soccer, the CTFA, yesterday said that leagues were preparing to submit plans to health authorities to resume their seasons, which were also suspended in May.
With the number of clubs and fields requiring approval from local authorities, the leagues would likely not restart the season until next month, the officials said.
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