Dodgers, Rays self-quarantine after Justin Turner’s COVID-19 diagnosis
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays are under self-quarantine at their respective homes after Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was notified Tuesday he had tested positive for COVID-19, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.
The people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
The Dodgers, who are under a 14-day quarantine, flew back to Los Angeles on Wednesday from Texas, where the World Series was played.
Attempts to reach the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Thursday to determine if the Dodgers followed Los Angeles County COVID-19 protocol were was unsuccessful.
Turner and his wife were scheduled back on a private charter, according to one of the people.
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Turner was pulled from Game 6 before the eighth inning once his positive test was confirmed. After the Dodgers clinched the team’s first World Series in 32 years, Turner returned and joined the team’s on-field celebration and posed for the team photo without wearing a protective face covering.
“While a desire to celebrate is understandable, Turner’s decision to leave isolation and enter the field was wrong and put everyone he came in contact with at risk,’’ Major League Baseball said Wednesday in a statement. “When MLB security raised the matter of being on the field with Turner, he emphatically refused to comply.”
According to an MLB official, it was Los Angeles County that cleared the Dodgers to fly in from Texas.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said the Centers for Disease Control has federal jurisdiction over air travel.
The CDC website says, “Don’t travel if you are sick or if you have been around someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days. Don’t travel with someone who is sick.”
The CDC did not immediately respond a request for additional information.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a statement that in part referred to Turner:
“…we join everyone in wishing the Dodger player who tested positive for COVID-19 a fast and complete recovery. As with all other cases of COVID-19, isolation and quarantine are essential for reducing further spread.
“Public Health protocols state that a person who tests positive for COVID-19, even if they do not display symptoms, must isolate for 10 days and must be symptom and fever free for 24 hours before they can resume contact with any other people.
“Additionally, anyone who has been a close contact of a person who has tested positive for the virus for 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period must quarantine for 14 days.’’
Florida officials did not immediately return a message seeking comment about the Rays’ situation.
