Middle East in World: Several Texas Rangers front-office employees test positive for COVID-19

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The Texas Rangers said late Friday night that several of their front-office employees at Globe Life Field have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past two days, confirming a report from ESPN.

A source said that no players, coaches or baseball operations personnel were among those who tested positive. The club has conducted tracing to learn who has been in contact with the sick employees and to attempt to learn where it originated in the new offices that opened in February.

In a statement, the team said it quickly enacted the safety protocols in place for positive tests. Among them, any employee who had contact with the infected workers was sent home and will undergo testing.

None of those affected will be allowed back into the ballpark without a negative test.

“The health and safety of our employees are a top priority,” the statement reads. “The Rangers will continue to diligently enforce the pandemic protocols that are in place for the front-office employees at Globe Life Field. These include temperature checks upon entering the building, mandatory wearing of face coverings, and regular sanitation and cleaning of Globe Life Field.”

The news comes only days after the announcement that there will be a 60-game 2020 MLB season and as the Rangers start planning for spring training 2.0 next week at Globe Life Field and Globe Life Park.

Players are to report Wednesday for required testing, and the first workout is scheduled for July 3. The season will begin either July 23 or July 24.

The Rangers said on Wednesday that they are planning to allow fans at up to 50% capacity, or as many as 20,000.

The Rangers had not received a draft of their schedule as of Friday morning. Teams will be given a chance to recommend changes, and MLB won’t release the final schedule until early next week.

ESPN said it was contacted by multiple employees who admitted to being “terrified” after learning of the positive tests. The employees are hopeful that the Rangers will allowed them to resume working from home.

The Rangers have been working in their offices for nearly two weeks. ESPN said employees were urged to return the ballpark, with some being told it wasn’t optional.

“We all knew it would come to this,” an employee told ESPN. “It was only a matter of time.”

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