Coronavirus NBA Innovative solution to get the public back
AP
Ehe Miami Heat once again have fans thanks to the help of dogs. NBA team use coronavirus-detecting dogs to scan fans at the AmericanAirlines Arena who wish to attend the meetings.
This is a plan the Heat has been working on for months. Trained dogs have been installed by other teams in some matches this season to allow guest access. – usually friends and family of players and staff.
Starting this week will allow a limited number of people to enter the stands if they are able to pass the filter of the dogs.
“If you think about it, bloodhounds are nothing new, “said the executive vice president. Heat Business Strategy Officer Matthew Jafarian. “You see them in airports, they are used in critical missions by the political and military. We have used them for years in the sands to detect explosives. “
The Heat’s first meeting with fans It will be Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers. As of Monday, people who have season tickets will be able to secure their place.
The Heat have completely sold out 451 consecutive games, the sixth-longest streak in NBA history. Of course this year there will be no sellouts. The Heat will keep capacity below 2,000 people for the time being, equivalent to less than 10% of the normal capacity of the arena.
“Please take into consideration that there will be limited capacity because we will maintain social distancing, “the team recalled in a letter sent to their subscribers.
Dogs that detect the coronavirus have been used in recent months in places like Dubai Airport in the United Arab Emirates and in Helsinki, Finland.
Other protocols for the Heat to follow include: All attendees will be given a mandatory health questionnaire, they will have to wear masks continuously and only soft drinks and water will be sold. All transactions will be cashless and if an attendee feels unwell during the meeting they will have isolation rooms.
This change comes at a time when other arenas in Florida – like the Amalie Arena in Tampa, home of the NHL’s Lightning and the temporary home of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors – They are not allowing fans to enter even though they did so at the start of the season.
.
