That will directly affect the state’s baseball and softball leagues.
Department officials said a tip of the cap would replace the high-five, while handshake lines that are prevalent in youth sports, would be discontinued, WLWT reported. There also must be two separate piles of baseballs and softballs -- one for each team to use while on defense. That would lower the number of people who touch each ball, the television station reported.
Teams will not be allowed to share coolers and drinking stations, health officials said. Coaches and umpires will be required to wear face coverings at all times.
Spitting will be difficult to curb, as it has been a “natural” part of baseball from the majors all the way to youth leagues. Also, pitchers will lick their fingers, even absentmindedly, before throwing the ball. The catcher handles the ball, or a fielder grabs it when the ball is put in play. Or, the ball will be fouled off into the stands, where fans try to catch it.
"There is a lot of saliva exchanged in baseball," George Rutherford, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's like a high school dance when I think about it."
Players touch their faces, and when they sweat, they uses their hands to wipe it off.
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said local authorities have the power to impose stricter health regulations, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported. Husted added that other limited contact sports, such as golf and tennis, will also be allowed to start up again May 26, the newspaper reported. However, health officials have only released rules for baseball and softball so far, WLWT reported.
To read the list of mandates by the Ohio Department of Health, click here.
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