(Reuters) – Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies said on Thursday they closed Citizens Bank Park after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the postponement of their weekend series versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Phillies, whose park will be closed until further notice, said in a statement tests taken on Wednesday showed a member of the coaching staff and member of the home clubhouse staff tested positive for the virus.
Philadelphia had all four of their games this week versus the New York Yankees postponed after a COVID-19 outbreak on the Miami Marlins, who played three games in Philadelphia over the weekend.
MLB, which previously cancelled the Phillies’ game against Toronto on Friday, said in a news release they have decided to postpone the three-game weekend series “out of an abundance of caution.”
The games are the latest impacted by COVID-19 concerns as MLB, which only began its coronavirus-delayed season last Thursday, postponed seven Marlins games that were scheduled for this week.
MLB said they will coordinate with health experts and the Major League Baseball Players Association in planning for the Phillies’ resumption of play.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
