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Published 12:23 IST, April 30th 2020

Dr Anthony Fauci urges caution, warns USA is not ready for sports to make a comeback

The Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci stated that the time is not right for sports to return in the USA.

Reported by: Devika Pawar
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On Tuesday, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci stated that the time is not right for sports to return in the USA amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The New York Times recently conducted an interview with Dr Anthony Fauci where he discussed the USA sports return and the COVID-19 crisis. All American sports leagues are currently shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

Also read | USA Sports return: Dr Anthony Fauci and Curry talk about NBA return as coronavirus cases in US continue to rise

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USA sports return: Dr Anthony Fauci says NFL, NBA return should not go through

During the interview, Dr Anthony Fauci stated that while he would love all sports to be back, he needs to disagree as a health official, physician and scientist. He added that the country is 'not ready' for an NFL, NBA return. Dr Fauci further added that the country and the people need to get the situation in control. If the authorities try to get things back to normal prematurely, Dr Fauci believes that everyone will find themselves in the 'same hole' once again. He even talked about how the leagues could move from no fans in attendance to a full attendance gradually, but there is still 'no guarantee'. Players need to get tested regularly, but Dr Fauci maintains the possibility that they might not pull it off as safety cannot be guaranteed.

Also read | USA sports return: Dr Anthony Fauci claims NFL, MLB, NBA return could BUT behind closed doors

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Also read | NBA return: Steph Curry to hold a coronavirus Q&A along with Dr Anthony Fauci on Instagram

Dr Fauci had previously appeared on an Instagram Live with NBA star Steph Curry to answer questions about the virus. He also made an appearance during the 2020 NFL Draft, thanking them for taking the initiative to conduct the draft virtually. Currently, the NBA and NHL might not be able to complete their seasons due to the increasing number of cases in the country, while MLB could still hold a shortened season. NASCAR recently announced the decision to conduct races without fans from May, while the PGA Tour shared a revised schedule where golfers will start to play from mid-June. As of now, there are 1,064,572 coronavirus cases in US, which include 61,669 deaths.

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Also read | SNL home edition returns with Brad Pitt as US' man-of-the-moment Dr Anthony Fauci

12:23 IST, April 30th 2020