Steve Gardner, USA TODAY
Published 5:13 p.m. ET April 28, 2020
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SportsPulse: Sports plays a vital role in our day-to-day lives as a means to escape. Mental health expert Eric Kussin says it’s OK to feel depressed over the loss of sports in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and provides steps you can take to address these emotions.
USA TODAY
California’s governor on Tuesday announced a four-stage plan to relax restrictions the state enacted to slow the coronavirus outbreak, with the return of live sports as one of the last steps.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he believes the state is “weeks, not months, away from making meaningful modifications,” but added additional progress must be made to move to Stage 2, when some “lower risk” workplaces can be reopened.
Conducting sporting events with no spectators would be part of Stage 3, in which some higher-risk workplaces such as hair salons, gyms and movie theaters can open.
The final stage, with fans at sporting events, would come after the statewide stay-at-home order is lifted and “once therapeutics have been developed.”
STAGE 4: End of Stay-At-Home Order
Re-opening the highest risk parts of our economy — once therapeutics have been developed.
This will include mass gatherings such as:
– Concerts
– Convention Centers
– Live audience sports— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 28, 2020
Most important, Newsom said the plan does not have a definite timetable. The ability to move from one stage to the next, he said, will depend on improving the capacity to test people for coronavirus and to perform contact tracing to track its potential spread.
I know we’re all ready for life to go back to normal,” Newsom added on Twitter. “But it’s unbelievably important we re-open our economy in a scientific, thoughtful way — guided by public health.”
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