Report: Pirates Conduct Deep Clean of Spring Training Facility as an 'Overabundance of Caution'

Less than a day after a man in Manatee County, Fla. was confirmed to have coronavirus, the Pirates conducted a deep clean of their nearby Spring Training facility.

The Pittsburgh Pirates hired a cleaning crew to conduct a deep clean of its Spring Training facility in Bradenton, Fla., on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, less than a day after a man in nearby Manatee County was confirmed to have coronavirus.

Per Passan, a team spokesperson said the organization did not undergo the cleaning as a response to any concerns about employees or others near the team carrying coronavirus.

"In an effort to be as proactive as possible and perhaps in an overabundance of caution, we took advantage of our scheduled off-day to professionally sanitize and deep clean LECOM Park," said Brian Warecki, the Pirates' vice president of communications. "We will continue to actively consider other efforts that we can implement to help maintain a healthy environment for our fans, players and staff."

ESPN additionally reports that the team plans on conducting a meeting Wednesday to discuss proper safety protocols in response to the disease.

On Tuesday, MLB issued a memo to hundreds of baseball officials offering suggestions for teams, including players not taking balls and pens directly from fans for autographs, per an earlier report from Passan. The memo also reportedly suggests players don't shake hands with fans, and that teams should communicate with a local public health authority. It also recommends that medical personnel should ensure all players received the 2019–20 flu vaccine.

MLB joins a running list of sports leagues that have recently formed advisory committees or issued recommendations for how to handle the virus to their respective teams.

As of Tuesday night, more than 100 cases of coronavirus have been detected in the United States compared to the more than 90,000 cases worldwide.