A candlelit vigil on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19, 2021, honored the hundreds of thousands of Americans killed by COVID-19.
Credit: © Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

One year ago, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease COVID-19 a pandemic—that is, a disease that spreads over an extremely wide geographic area. In one year, the deadly respiratory disease has infected nearly 115 million people and killed more than 2.5 million people worldwide.

The first COVID-19 cases occurred in Wuhan, China, near a seafood and live animal market. This fact suggested to scientists that the disease may be zoonotic (spread from animals to people). Researchers proposed that, like the related diseases MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), COVID-19 may have its origin in bats. Further analysis of the virus SARS-CoV-2 showed that it had clearly originated in bats. SARS-CoV-2 stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. How the virus crossed over into human beings has not been determined. After the virus entered humans, human-to-human transmission became the chief way in which the disease spread.

As the pandemic progressed, some authorities closed schools and such nonessential businesses as restaurants, movie theaters, and hair salons. Some officials issued stay-at-home orders. The orders forbade people from leaving their homes except for such necessary activities as working at an essential job, buying food, or seeing a doctor.

To pass time over the long year and help stay cheerful while stuck at home, many people turned to baking treats, reading books, and making arts and crafts. For instance, some people recreated famous paintings. Such museums as the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, provided people with prompts. Then, using household products and costumes buried at the bottom of toy chests, people recreated famous works of art. Emanuel Leutze’s “Washington Crossing the Delaware,” for example, became “Wagon Crossing the Street.” Re-enacting masterpieces was a great way to past the time, while you waited for your treats to bake.

Sandra Lindsay, left, a Black nurse, is injected with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer on Dec. 14, 2020, in the Queens borough (section) of New York City. The rollout of the vaccine, the first to be given emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, begins the biggest vaccination effort in U.S. history.
Credit: © Mark Lennihan, Getty Images

In December 2020, hope began to arrive in the form of vaccines. Vaccines are special medicines that can help make a person immune to a particular disease. The long-awaited “V-Day,” short for Vaccine Day, arrived in the United States on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. Sandra Lindsay—a nurse at a hospital in the Queens borough (section) of New York City—was hailed as the first person in the United States to receive an authorized COVID-19 vaccination.

Not everyone who wants a vaccine has been able to get one right away. The first doses were given to healthcare workers. Then, frontline workers (workers likely to encounter the disease) followed, along with people vulnerable to the virus, including the elderly and those with such risk factors as obesity or diabetes.

Since December, nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population has received the vaccine. Tens of thousands more get vaccinated each day, raising hopes that the end of the pandemic is near.

Credit: © Atstock Productions, Shutterstock

Friday, January 1, is New Year’s Day, the first day of the calendar year. People in almost every country celebrate this day as a holiday. The celebrations are both festive and serious. Many people make New Year’s resolutions to break bad habits or to start good ones. Some think about how they have lived during the past year and look forward to the next 12 months.

In a typical year, New Year’s celebrations may include visiting friends and relatives, giving gifts, and attending religious services. Celebrations usually start on New Year’s Eve, December 31. In the United States, many people go to New Year’s Eve parties. Crowds gather in Times Square in New York City, on State Street in Chicago, and in other public places. At midnight, bells ring, sirens sound, firecrackers explode, and everyone shouts, “Happy New Year!”

Of course, 2020 has not been a typical year, and 2021 New Year’s festivities are likely to look a little different. Efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Such efforts often include social distancing, meant to limit contact among people and thus the spread of germs. So, gone are the large crowds in Times Square. In addition, such traditional New Year’s Day celebrations as visiting friends and relatives or attending religious services might be limited to virtual events this year.

Many people may be particularly excited to say good-bye to 2020. The year was largely overshadowed by the pandemic. COVID-19 was first recognized in human beings in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. By January 30, COVID-19 had caused 170 deaths among some 8,000 confirmed cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern. WHO recommended urgent containment measures as the number of cases and deaths continued to climb. On March 11, WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

As the pandemic progressed, some authorities closed schools and such businesses as restaurants, movie theaters, and barber shops and hair salons. Some officials issued stay-at-home orders. The orders forbade people from leaving their homes except for such necessary activities as working at an essential job, buying food, or seeing a doctor.

As of late December, COVID-19 has caused more than 1.7 million deaths worldwide, and more than 82.1 million cases had been confirmed. More than 185 countries have reported cases of COVID-19.

However, the new year offers hope in the form of vaccines, special medicines that can help make a person immune to a particular disease. The long-awaited V-Day, short for Vaccine Day, arrived in the United States on Monday, December 14, with the beginning of widespread vaccination against COVID-19. The first vaccine doses were given to health care workers. Next in line are frontline workers (workers likely to encounter the disease) and people who are vulnerable to the virus, including the elderly and people with such risk factors as obesity or diabetes. Some of these people have already received the vaccine, but most people may have to wait to be vaccinated until the spring of 2021.

So, it will take some time for things to return to normal. But, here’s wishing you a happier and healthier 2021!

Sandra Lindsay, a Black nurse, is injected with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer on Dec. 14, 2020, in the Queens borough (section) of New York City. The rollout of the vaccine, the first to be given emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, begins the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history.
Credit: © Mark Lennihan, Getty Images

The long-awaited V-Day, short for Vaccine Day, arrived in the United States on Monday, December 14, with the beginning of widespread vaccination against the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Vaccination involves the administration of special medicines called vaccines, which can help make a person immune to a particular disease. Sandra Lindsay—a nurse at a hospital in the Queens borough (section) of New York City—became the first person in the United States to receive the authorized COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 has killed more than 1 million people and infected more than 60 million people around the world. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an emergency use authorization for the vaccine, by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, on December 11. V-Day provided a moment of hope against the COVID-19 pandemic (worldwide outbreak of disease) even as the U.S. death toll topped 300,000.

The fact that Lindsay—a Black health care worker—was first in line to receive the vaccine is significant. In the United States, COVID-19 has disproportionally affected Black Americans, and medical workers have been on the front line of the fight against the disease. Lindsay said it was important for her to take the vaccine, in part because of the history of unequal and racist treatment of minorities in the medical system. In particular, she mentioned the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, a notorious medical experiment involving Black Americans. Beginning in 1932, medical workers conducted blood tests among 4,000 Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama, and selected for the study about 400 who were found to be infected with the sexually transmitted disease syphilis. The participants in the study were not informed that they were infected with syphilis or told about the expected outcomes of the experiment. Lindsay hoped to inspire Black people and other minorities who may be skeptical about the vaccine. After receiving the first of two doses, she said, “It feels surreal. It is a huge sense of relief for me, and hope.”

The first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be given to Americans were shipped on Sunday, December 13. The United States is not the first country to approve the vaccine. On December 8, Margaret Keenan of the United Kingdom became the first person in the world to receive the authorized vaccine. Canada has also approved the vaccine, administering its first dose the same day as the United States.

In many cases, administration of a COVID-19 vaccine will be voluntary. But, it will be a while until everybody who wants a vaccine can get one. In the United States, the first doses will be given to health care workers. Frontline workers (workers likely to encounter the disease) and people who are vulnerable to the virus, including the elderly and people with such risk factors as obesity or diabetes will be next. Some of these people may receive the vaccine by the end of 2020. But, most people will have to wait until the spring of 2021.

Most vaccines are administered into the body by injection. A vaccine contains substances that stimulate the body’s immune system to produce molecules called antibodies. The immune system uses antibodies to fight against germs that enter the body. Antibodies produced in response to a vaccine can protect a person who is exposed to the actual disease-causing organism. The process of protecting the body in this way is called immunization. Vaccines have been successful in fighting many other diseases, including chickenpox, meningitis, and yellow fever.

Pfizer and Moderna began clinical trials in July. During these trials, participants were given either the vaccine or a placebo. A placebo is a substance that contains no active ingredient. Comparing infection rates in subjects who received the placebo with those among subjects who got the vaccine can help determine if the vaccine is effective. In the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials, half the participants were given a placebo of salt water, and half were given the vaccine. The researchers then waited to see who might get sick. The results were very promising—both vaccines were about 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. By contrast, commonly administered influenza vaccines (known as flu shots) are 40 percent to 60 percent effective.

In late November, the companies Pfizer and Moderna each applied for emergency approval from the FDA for their COVID-19 vaccines.  The two companies are among dozens of drugmakers that have worked tirelessly to develop a vaccine against the deadly virus.

Nurse administering a vaccination.
Credit: © Shutterstock

The coronavirus disease COVID-19 has killed more than 1 million people and infected more than 60 million people around the world. But, hope may be just around the corner, in the form of vaccines. Vaccines are special medicines that can help make a person immune to a particular disease. Vaccines have been successful in fighting many other diseases, including chickenpox, meningitis, and yellow fever.

In late November, the companies Pfizer and Moderna each applied for emergency approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their COVID-19 vaccines.  The two companies are among dozens of drugmakers that have worked tirelessly to develop a vaccine against the deadly virus.

Most vaccines are administered into the body by injection. A vaccine contains substances that stimulate the body’s immune system to produce molecules called antibodies. The immune system uses antibodies to fight against germs that enter the body. Antibodies produced in response to a vaccine can protect a person who is exposed to the actual disease-causing organism. The process of protecting the body in this way is called immunization. 

Pfizer and Moderna began clinical trials in July. During these trials, participants were given either the vaccine or a placebo. A placebo is a substance that contains no active ingredient. Comparing infection rates in subjects who received the placebo with those among subjects who got the vaccine can help determine if the vaccine is effective. In the Pfizer and Moderna clinical trials, half the participants were given a placebo of salt water, and half were given the vaccine. The researchers then waited to see who might get sick. The results were very promising—both vaccines were about 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. By contrast, commonly administered influenza vaccines (known as flu shots) are 40 percent to 60 percent effective.

Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in modern medicine. They have nearly or completely eliminated several diseases. For instance, Edward Jenner, a British physician, introduced vaccination in 1796 as a preventive measure against smallpox. By the late 1970′s, smallpox vaccination had wiped out the dreadful disease. In the United States and many other countries, disease has been greatly reduced by widespread childhood immunizations. In 1952, for example, more than 21,000 cases of the paralytic disease polio were reported in the United States. By the end of the 1900′s, fewer than 10 cases per year were reported. More than 95 percent of children in the United States receive all their recommended immunizations by the time they enter school.

In many cases, administration of a COVID-19 vaccine will be voluntary. But, it will be a while until everybody who wants a vaccine can get one. Once approved, the vaccine—from Pfizer, Moderna, or other companies—will likely first be available to health care workers, frontline workers (workers likely to encounter the disease), and people who are vulnerable to the virus, including the elderly and people with such risk factors as obesity or diabetes. Some of these people may receive the vaccine by the end of 2020. But, most people will have to wait until the spring of 2021.

Credit: © Drazen Zigic, Shutterstock

Cans of cranberries are piled high on grocery store shelves. The smells of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg float through the house. The sound of snapping green beans fills the air. It’s nearly Thanksgiving Day in the United States, the day set aside each year for giving thanks and remembering the blessings of life. People may celebrate the day with family gatherings, feasting, and prayer. For many people, Thanksgiving calls forth memories of tables crowded with food, happy reunions, football games, and religious contemplation.

But Thanksgiving Day—like so many holidays in 2020—might look different than in years past. In many places, efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the pandemic (global outbreak) of COVID-19. Such methods often include social distancing, meant to limit contact among people and thus the spread of germs. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has even advised Americans to avoid Thanksgiving travel and gatherings with relatives outside their household. That means that people might not see loved ones in person or crowd holiday tables this Thanksgiving Day. But, limiting the spread of germs does not mean you can’t have a day of thanks—and delicious foods. Just as you follow a recipe for your favorite Thanksgiving dish, follow these recipes for a safer Thanksgiving Day.

Gathering with people in your household is the safest way to celebrate the holiday. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the company of friends and distant relatives. Plan a video chat to share details of your meal, catch up with loved ones, and talk about the things you are thankful for.

If you must visit friends or relatives, it may help to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before and after greeting others. Food tastes better with clean hands anyway. You want delicious butter on your warm roll—not yucky germs! When not eating, it may help to wear a protective face mask. Plus, a face mask is a great way to hide yawning. (Roasted turkey, a popular holiday dish, has a chemical called tryptophan that is said to cause drowsiness.)

One way to practice social distancing at a holiday gathering is to seat one household per table. This means that you can sit with anyone who lives in your house. So, your seatmates might include your parents, brothers and sisters, and any grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that live in your home. Then, seat people from other households about 10 feet (3 meters) away. Before sitting down, disinfect your table and chairs. To pour on some additional safety—like you might pour on the gravy—bring your own drinks, plates, cups, and utensils.

We at World Book are thankful for our readers. We are also thankful to all the doctors, nurses, delivery drivers, and grocery store workers working to keep us safe and healthy. However you choose to celebrate, we hope you have a safe and fun Thanksgiving!

T. J. Warren of the Indiana Pacers goes for a lay-up shot against the Philadelphia 76ers on August 1, 2020, at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The NBA resumed its suspended 2019-2020 season with teams sequestered (isolated) at the resort and no fans in attendance, precautions against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (worldwide outbreak of disease). Virtual fans can be seen in the background, projected against the walls of the arena.
Credit: © Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE/Getty Images

The National Basketball Association (NBA) resumed its season on Thursday, July 30. But, this season looks much different than seasons past. Gone are the cheering fans. Instead, the stands are empty.

In March 2020, the NBA suspended its 2019-2020 season because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19, a contagious respiratory disease, first broke out in China in late 2019. It soon spread throughout the world. The NBA suspended play on March 11, 2020, after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the disease. Most other major sports leagues around the world quickly followed the NBA in suspending or canceling scheduled events. In June, NBA teams and players agreed to a plan in which the top 22 teams in the standings would resume play under a shortened schedule to compete for a place in the playoffs.

All 22 teams are sequestered (isolated) at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Living in this “bubble” is intended to protect the players, coaches, and staff from contracting and spreading COVID-19. The complex includes weight rooms, practice gyms, and game courts. There are no Disney princesses or pirates. But, there are many famous faces, including such top players as LeBron James and Zion Williamson.

The season resumed with a game between the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans. The Jazz beat the Pelicans 106 to 104. That same night, the Los Angeles Clippers played the Los Angeles Lakers. It was another two-point victory—the Lakers beat the Clippers 103 to 101.

Opening night provided a platform for players and others to express support for Black Lives Matter (BLM). BLM is an activist movement that was formed to campaign against racial injustice and what its members consider police brutality against African Americans. BLACK LIVES MATTER was painted on the court, and the players knelt during the national anthem, an expression of protest begun by the American quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The NBA is not the only sports league to resume suspended play. The National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) have resumed their seasons, too. One thing all the leagues have in common is the absence of spectators at games. But at-home celebrations are likely to be spirited, as fans throughout the world have been without professional sports for months.

American activist and playwright Larry Kramer
Credit: David Shankbone (licensed under CC BY 3.0)

The American playwright and AIDS activist Larry Kramer died on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at the age of 84. (AIDS is the final, life-threatening stages of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]). Kramer became known as a fiery advocate (supporter) of public health and gay rights. His advocacy helped not only to further the study and treatment of HIV/AIDS but also to inspire other aggressive public health efforts.

Laurence David Kramer was born on June 25, 1935, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1957, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Yale University. He then entered the motion-picture industry, variously working as screenwriter, story editor, and producer.

In 1981, Kramer cofounded Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the first HIV service organization. The organization was created in response to the lack of government action to fight the disease. In 1987, Kramer founded ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power). The organization performed disruptive acts to gain the attention of public officials, scientists, and religious leaders. For instance, the group surrounded St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

One of the officials with whom Kramer tussled was the American epidemiologist Anthony Fauci. Kramer accused Fauci of having no sense of urgency in studying or treating HIV/AIDS. (In January 2020, Fauci became a lead member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.) The two later became friends, and Fauci acknowledged the role Kramer had played in drawing attention to the disease.

Kramer is the author of several books, plays, screenplays and essays. His autobiographical play “The Normal Heart” opened in 1985. It explores the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City during the early 1980’s. Another autobiographical play, “The Destiny of Me,” was first performed in 1992. The play follows Ned Weeks, the main character of “The Normal Heart.” Kramer wrote a screenplay for the English writer D.H. Lawrence’s novel Women in Love. The film was released in 1969. Kramer received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay.

Athena, mascot for the SK Wyverns of the Korea Baseball Organization, entertains the only lively member of the crowd during a game at Happy Dream Ballpark, in Incheon, on May 5, 2020. The “fan” is a stadium worker, and the spectators have been replaced by cardboard placards. Live audiences were banned from attending as a result of social distancing measures undertaken to fight a pandemic of the coronavirus disease COVID-19.
Photo credit: © Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) threw out the first pitch of its 2020 regular season on Tuesday, May 5. To much of the rest of the world, the Korean league is known mainly as a source of pitching prospects for Major League Baseball (MLB) and as a place for foreign players to work on their swings. But, with most major sporting leagues shut down due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the KBO hoped to introduce fans around the world to their version of the pastime.

The Korean league includes 10 teams: the Kiwoom Heroes, LG Twins, Doosan Bears, SK Wyverns, KT Wiz, NC Dinos, Samsung Lions, Lotte Giants, Kia Tigers, and Hanwha Eagles. The regular season consists of 144 games, with each team playing the others 16 times. The top five teams make the playoffs, with the top-ranked team receiving an automatic berth in the seven-game championship series. Each line-up includes a designated hitter, similar to the rule used in MLB’s American League. Unlike MLB games, KBO games can end in ties.

Major league sports around the world have been largely shut down due to social distancing measures undertaken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. In the United States, the National Basketball Association became the first major sports organization to suspend play, on March 11. MLB quickly followed, suspending and ultimately cancelling its spring training.

South Korea was able to open its baseball season at only a slight delay, thanks in part to the nation’s aggressive, coordinated response to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the game will look a little different this year. Everyone but the players is required to wear face masks, and fans, barred from the stadium, have been in some places replaced by cardboard placards.

North American fans who want to check out the action will have to become night owls—due to the time difference, live broadcasts begin in the early morning hours in the United States. But those who stay up late, get up early, or record the game may be rewarded with an earful of a uniquely Korean baseball innovation—cheer songs. Unlike MLB players, who often pick the music played as they step to the plate, Korean players have their own unique theme songs, perhaps unsurprising for a country whose thriving pop music industry gave the world such K-pop (Korean pop music) acts as PSY, BTS, and Blackpink.

American immunologist Anthony Fauci
Photo credit: NIAID

You may have seen Dr. Anthony Fauci featured at press conferences as a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, assembled to fight a pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. In many ways, Fauci has become the face of efforts to stop the deadly disease in the United States, especially the practice of social distancing. But, how much do you know about Dr. Fauci?

Fauci (pronounced FOW chee), an American immunologist, has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984. An immunologist is a scientist who studies the body’s defenses against disease. The NIAID is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States government.

Anthony Stephen Fauci was born on Dec. 24, 1940, in the Brooklyn borough (district) of New York City. He earned a bachelor’s degree at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1962. In 1966, Fauci earned a doctor of medicine degree from Cornell University Medical College in New York City. In 1968, Fauci joined the NIAID’s Laboratory of Clinical Investigation. In 1974, he became head of the Clinical Physiology Section, and he was named chief of the Laboratory of Immunoregulation in 1980. Immunoregulation is the control of immune responses.

As director of the NIAID, Fauci has advised multiple U.S. presidents and led efforts to combat such emerging diseases as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, the virus that causes AIDS), SARS, the swine flu, MERS, the Ebola virus, and COVID-19. In 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Fauci the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts in fighting HIV and AIDS. The medal is the highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the United States.

April 8, 2020

Today, April 8, Behind the Headlines was originally scheduled to cover this year’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball championships in the United States. However, the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments were canceled in March because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The tournaments were not alone: nearly all sports leagues and sporting events have been suspended or canceled because of COVID-19, putting sports on hold in all corners of the globe. COVID-19 is a pneumonia-like disease caused by a coronavirus, a type of virus that also causes the common cold and other diseases of the upper respiratory system. To date, COVID-19 has killed more than 80,000 people among nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases.

Dodger Stadium sits empty in Los Angeles, California. Baseball stadiums, usually teeming with people at this time of year, are going unused throughout the world as leagues have been suspended or canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: John McCoy/Getty Images

All collegiate and high schools sports in the United States were suspended or canceled because of COVID-19 (the schools were then closed), and Little League Baseball, too, had to put off the start of its season. In professional sports, Major League Baseball, which had begun its annual spring training, canceled all exhibition games on March 12 and indefinitely delayed the start of the regular season. Minor League Baseball shut down, as did baseball leagues in Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and other countries. The National Basketball Association suspended its season on March 11, and basketball leagues in other countries were also shut down. The recently launched XFL football league suspended its first season on March 12, and the fledgling Basketball Africa League also lost its inaugural season, which had been scheduled to start on March 13.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo until 2021. Credit: Pakpoom Phummee/Shutterstock

Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League suspended their seasons in March, and other hockey and soccer leagues around the world were forced to do the same. Rugby and cricket leagues and tournaments were suspended, as were the upcoming Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and British Open golf competitions. In tennis, Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since World War II (1939-1945), and the French Open was postponed. The Kentucky Derby horse race and the Indianapolis 500 auto race were postponed, and the Monaco Gran Prix auto race was canceled. (All three races are usually run in May.) Marathons around the world have been canceled or postponed, and athletes of all types will have to wait for the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, which were postponed a year until July 2021.

This illustration of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) shows the spikes on the outer surface of the virus that appear as a corona, giving the virus its name. Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of sports continued to be played without fans in attendance, but fears for the safety of athletes quickly led to the canceling of the competitions themselves. Suspended and postponed sports leagues and events have issued optimistic timelines about when they will resume or take place. All timelines, however, depend on the containment or continued spread of COVID-19.

The sports cancellations are part of social distancing, also known as physical distancing, an effort to slow or stop the spread of a contagious disease by limiting contact between people. Social distancing is most effective against illnesses that can be transmitted by coughing or sneezing, direct or indirect physical contact, or through the air. Typical social distancing measures call for the closing of such public places as sports arenas, schools, restaurants, museums, and many offices and stores. They may also call for people to maintain a distance of around 6 feet (2 meters) between them in public places.