Coronavirus Tennis Updates:
March 11 - Miami Open is canceled.March 6 - BNP Open is canceled.
Patrons can request a refund until March 31: https://bnpparibasopen.com/coronavirus-refund/
BNP Open Coronavirus Statement.
First and foremost, any patron that has purchased tickets directly from the tournament may request a refund for the 2020 tournament, or a credit for the 2021 tournament. Patrons can visit www.bnpparibasopen.com/coronavirus to request a refund or credit.
On March 5, California declared a state of emergency after a coronavirus-related death in the state. There are at least 53 confirmed cases to date, more than any other state. (CNBC)
LA Times: Los Angeles County officials have discussed the possibility of banning spectators from attending sporting events in Southern California in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
ATP Tour and WTA cancels or reschedules many events (March 3)
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/updated-2020-atp-challenger-tour-calendar
Kei Nishikori (from Japan) pulls out of Indian Wells amidst possible travel restrictions for travelers (and fans) from Japan and Korea (March 2):
https://www.essentiallysports.com/kei-nishikori-and-others-might-miss-the-sunshine-double-heres-why-atp-tennis-news/
Nadal states concerns about the coronavirus fears, impact on the Olympics:
https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Rafael_Nadal/84621/rafael-nadal-admits-he-is-concerned-over-the-coronavirus-outbreak-/
Newsweek - Coronavirus likely to spread across the US in the next 4 to 6 weeks (March-April):
https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-going-go-every-single-state-very-very-soon-us-doctor-warns-1489949
History: Previous Flu-like Cases affected many players at the 2012 Indian Wells tournament
In 2012, an illness outbreak at Indian Wells affected several players including Roger Federer and his family with "flu-like symptoms" (CNN, 2012):
https://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/12/sport/tennis/tennis-llodra-federer-nadal/index.html
The possibility of an airborne illness spreading quickly at any densely populated event or tournament is clear from history in March of 2012.
Roger Federer at Indian Wells 2012:"We're fighting something of our own in our family," Federer, who has twin girls, told reporters. "We have tons of stuff going on at the moment.
"I have a bit of a combination. Not terrible temperature, but I have some things going on. But I'm the best off of the family, so thank God I'm the tennis player here. No, the rest of them are struggling much more."
Gael Monfils and Austrian Jurgen Melzer were lost from the men's draw, while ninth-ranked Russian Vera Zvonareva and American Vania King pulled out of the women's tournament. Philipp Kohlschreiber, Andreas Seppi and Magdalena Rybarikova had earlier withdrawn.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) Travel Advice:
A list of destinations with travel notices is available at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.