Florida is leading the way for a return to professional sports. On April 9, Jared Moskowitz, state coordinating officer for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, circulated a memo that added “professional sports and media production with a national audience” to the state’s list of “essential services.” Pro-sports productions are still closed to the general public.
Also deemed essential are services and programs “addressing mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence and other urgent counseling” and employees at “theme park and entertainment complexes, zoological parks and facilities and aquarium facilities” who are necessary for safety, health and human-resources maintenance.
NBC Sports first reported the story Tuesday morning.
The WWE aired Monday Night Raw on April 13 from its Orlando training center. Per NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk division, Florida’s National Football League — the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars — will not be allowed to return to work until all 32 teams are allowed.
Major League Soccer also announced Tuesday morning that its mid-May return projection is “extremely unlikely.” Orlando City SC is 0-1-1 through two games in 2020.
Florida’s statewide stay-at-home order began April 3 at 12:01 a.m. and will last until, at least, April 30.
For more on the return of sports in Central Florida and beyond, as the coronavirus situation continues to evolve, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor for tips and/or memes (happy to send or receive), you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com, or you can tweet at him.
