WASHINGTON — A lot of people across the country are feeling the impact of COVID-19.
Many companies are teleworking in order to follow social distancing guidelines set out by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
For stadium and arena workers whose source of income centers around games and other events like concerts, shows, etc. there is no such luxury.
Mass-gatherings have been postponed or canceled across the United States to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The NCAA tournament, which was supposed to start this week, will not happen.
The NBA and NHL have suspended their seasons with a hope that they can resume games as early as May.
Major League Baseball’s season won’t start until May at the earliest.
For seasonal stadium and arena workers, that’s an extended period without work.
Major League Baseball has joined owners and players in other sports in trying to help reduce the stress of their ticket takers, concessions workers, the people who help fans find their seats, etc.
Each team will contribute $1 million to help fund the stadium staff that work when games are going on.
The Nationals posted on social media that they’re taking part in the leaguewide effort.
“We knew the decision to postpone the season was the correct one, but it would be wrong for that decision to disproportionately impact those individuals who rely on income from working games to help support their families,” said the Nats in the social media post. “We wanted to begin to help lessen the worry associated with the season’s delay.”
Hopefully, everyone will be back at Nats Park sooner rather than later.