Coronavirus protocol at the 2020 Cincinnati Masters: what happens if a player tests positive?

The return of tennis in the Cincinnati Masters 1,000 (August 22-28) will be scrutinized around the world by risks that such an event entails in the current context. But the possible consequences of carrying it out in the country of the world most affected by the pandemic will also be carefully observed.

In addition to deciding a change of venue, being the US Open facilities in New York hosting the Cincinnati Masters, The tournament organization has established strict protocols to guarantee the safety of players, technicians and members of the organization (there will be no public) and avoid contagion by COVID-19.

accommodation

The organization has forced tennis players to stay at two specific hotels: the Long Island Marriott and the Garden City. Both are about 30 minutes from Flushing Meadows, but outside of the New York City limits and about an hour's drive from downtown Manhattan. It has also given them the possibility of staying in private houses together with some guests, although athletes can only travel for matches.

Creation of the 'bubble'

Own Stacey Allaster, US Open Director, he finds himself together with tennis players and their teams in the “centralized environment”, which he repeatedly referred to as a “bubble”. In it, tennis players will have everything they need: comfortable accommodation, medical tests, transportation, training facilities, trainers, physiotherapists and various food services.

Measures to control contagions

The main system by which the USTA intends to protect everyone who is involved in the US Open is divided into three categories: the first includes players, their team, their guests and tournament staff, so this group is made up of about 1,000 people. The second, formed by television crews workers who will attend the games, along with the handful of journalists and photographers accredited to cover the games in the stadiums, although this group, according to the USTA, will have very little interaction with others. The third, formed by other types of stadium personnel, such as security officers in the parking lot or merchants, they would have even less interaction.

According to the doctor who has supervised the entire protocol, Bernard Camins, who is also the medical director in the Infection Prevention department of the prestigious Mt. Sinai hospital group, tennis players who arrive to play the tournament are subjected to two coronavirus tests in the first four days of their stay, and until they receive a negative from the first test, they will not be able to leave their room. Apart from those first two tests, athletes will be subjected to frequent coronavirus tests during the tournament, and once the competition starts, Any player who tests positive will be automatically disqualified. Obviously, the use of a mask will be mandatory for all members of the 'bubble' (except tennis players during matches), in addition to social distancing.