NHL closing dressing rooms to media amid Coronavirus concerns

More precautionary measures are being taken by professional sports leagues as concerns around the COVID-19 virus continue to grow. The NHL has already advised players to limit contact with fans to attempt to keep the spread of the virus under control, and on Saturday the league also decided to limit contact between players and media as well.

Dressing rooms will be closed off to media, on recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Media availability will move to a formal press conference area for the post-game quotes that fill your nightly game stories.

The other major professional leagues are reportedly expected to release similar measures in the coming days, as information about the contagious disease continues to spread throughout the world.

This is not the only piece of coronavirus-related hockey information that came out on Saturday, as the International Ice Hockey Federation announced that the coming Women’s World Championships — slated to begin at the end of March — would be canceled as well.

“We are concerned and we are monitoring this," president Rene Fasel told The Associated Press.

The NBA has also begun to breach the topic of playing games in empty arenas to limit groups of strangers meeting in large crowds, though that idea has not been met with the warmest of receptions.

““We play games without the fans? Nah. Impossible,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said. “I ain’t playing if you don’t have the fans in the crowd.”

For more updates on how leagues around the world are responding to the impact of coronavirus concerns, follow along with Yahoo Sports here.

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