The Miami Heat announced they will have COVID-sniffing dogs outside AmericanAirlines Arena to detect all ticketed fans when they return on Jan. 28.
The Heat indicated, on their website, that they have implemented a series of security measures against covid-19 to help mitigate the risk of exposure and make the game day experience as safe as possible.
“In an effort to further improve the safety of guests and stadium staff, all people will be scanned upon arrival by a COVID-19 detection dog,” the Heat said in a statement.
“If you or anyone in your travel party is signaled by a canine, all members of the party will not be permitted to enter the arena. A staff member will notify you of the next steps regarding your ticket purchase” they added.
In the event that a person or the group in which he is found is identified by one of the dogs trained to detect the coronavirus, the security team will not allow any member of the group to access the interior of the pavilion.
The Miami Heat indicated that fans who are not comfortable with COVID-19 testing by the canine team will be able to undergo another free method of scanning before entering the stadium, but this could take about 45 minutes.
Those who take their seats 30 feet (9 meters) from the court will have to undergo a rapid disease test there, before the game begins.
Recent studies and research programs have shown that dogs trained to identify cases of COVID-19 perform these detection tasks successfully, thanks to their great sense of smell.
Since March 1, 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Florida, there have been more than 1.6 million infected in the state, of which about 25,000 have died, according to the state Department of Health count.
