Top US health expert Anthony Fauci says 'empty stadiums' a way to restart sporting activities
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He also said reliable antibody testing and fast results are key for the return of sports
The top US health and infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci suggested sports being played in empty stadium in a bid to repoen professional tournaments in America.
"There's a way of doing that," Fauci said, in a US Snapchat show "Good Luck America", adding, "Nobody comes to the stadiums. Put (athletes) in big hotels, wherever you want to play".
"Keep them very well-surveilled, but have them tested like every week and make sure they don't wind up infecting each other or their families, and just let them play the season out," Fauci added.
He also said reliable antibody testing and fast results are key for the return of sports.
The US is the worst-affected country with the novel coronavirus that has killed over 28,000 and infected more than 600,000 others.
The NBA is also considering a model similar to one suggested by Fauci for getting their season restatrted either in the Bahamas or Las Vegas.
On March 11, the NBA was shut down after Utah center got infected with the virus, and National Hockey League, Major League Soccer and the PGA Tour quickly took cue from it and followed a similar action.
Reports suggest the PGA is mulling over a return on June 11 without the presence of any fans, starting with the Texas Open, which was original scheduled from May 21-24.
However, New York mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday spoke against the idea of restarting large-scale sporting events and concerts.
"Those big events should be one of the last things we should bring back online. The last thing we should do is gather 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 people in one place," the governor told CNN.
"That is the opposite of social distancing, so I think it could take quite a while."
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday said California city might not hold high-profile events before 2021.