The Tampa Bay Lightning closed their facilities Thursday after five team employees tested positive for the coronavirus, a person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press.
The Philadelphia Phillies also announced five unidentified players and three staff members tested positive this week at the team’s spring training complex in Clearwater.
The person spoke to The AP on Friday on the condition of anonymity because the NHL and the team are not announcing the closure. The NHL is also no longer announcing which teams individual players tested positive.
It was not clear how many Lightning players tested positive.
The closure comes some two weeks after players were allowed to return to their respective facilities to take part in voluntary on- and off-ice workouts. Players were allowed to skate in groups of up to six at a time.
The move to open facilities was the next step in the NHL’s bid to resume its season with a proposed 24-team expanded playoff format, with games being played in two hub cities.
The NHL projects teams to open training camps on July 10.
The Phillies have indefinitely closed the Clearwater camp to players, coaches and staff while medical authorities assess the situation.
The announcement came while Major League Baseball owners and players try to negotiate a deal to begin the season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The sides had hoped to begin a second round of spring training on June 26, most of them at their home ballparks.
The Toronto Blue Jays have shut down their spring training complex in Dunedin after a player presented symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
