Last night, Los Angeles erupted in celebration as the L.A. Dodgers won the World Series; a first since 1988. It also may have erupted in a hyperlocalized coronavirus superspreader event, as third baseman Justin Turner rushed the field to celebrate real up close and personal with his teammates despite testing positive twice for coronavirus. According to MLB on Fox reporter Ken Rosenthal, Turner’s first positive test result came back during the game’s second inning, but he continued to play until the eighth inning, when a second test also came back positive and he was removed from the game. That’s six whole innings that the L.A. Dodgers let a ’rona-positive player continue to play.
Things got even more epidemiologically suspect after the game, when Turner joined his teammates back on the field — in a mask, at least — to hug and take photos with them. At one point, he kisses his wife Kourtney Pogue, mask off, sans protection, right on the lips, while holding the Commissioner’s Trophy. That’s gonna need a wipe down.
According to baseball writer Jared Diamond, “When MLB officials found out, they instructed security to get Turner back into isolation. Turner refused to leave.†As ESPN reporter T.J. Quinn pointed out, Turner took off his mask, knowing he was positive for coronavirus, to pose in the team photo next to team manager Dave Roberts, who is a cancer survivor.
Turner, for his part, did not exactly or even vaguely apologize after the game, but he did tweet his “Thanks to everyone reaching out! I feel great, no symptoms at all.†This is not a good look, Turner.