The NHL remains proactive as the coronavirus outbreak continues.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league has forbidden employees from any “overseas business travel,” according to NHL.com. Those who make personal visits to any affected countries will be out of the office and quarantined for the two weeks following their return. Teams reportedly have been informed of the decision.
With the Stanley Cup playoffs fast approaching, the league is preparing contingency plans to prepare for any impact the virus may have on the postseason. Bettman is aware of the dangers the virus is posing overseas, but said teams in the league are “pretty informed” on the current situation in the United States.
“We’re aware of and focused on all possibilities, but at this point it would be premature to pick any one of the possibilities, especially because it may or may not become necessary in North America, which is why we’re staying current,” Bettman said Wednesday after the NHL’s general managers meetings ended Wednesday in Boca Raton, Fla., per NHL.com. “We’re staying in communication with everyone appropriate, and we’ll deal with it if and when the time comes.”
The NHL has been in communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Canada about the virus and has been in contact with the NBA and MLB, which are making their own plans should the outbreak reach their respective leagues. Bettman said all the league can do right now is “take it a day at a time and see what the experts in the field are telling us.”
“We’re aware of what’s happening in other places in the world, and we understand that things may evolve or change, and we also understand that we’re going to have to react to it in a professional and timely and sensible basis,” Bettman said. “But I don’t think, as we sit here today, people should get too far ahead of themselves in terms of how they either react to this or report this. Let’s see how it all evolves.”
The playoffs begin April 8.
