Miami Heat To Implement Coronavirus-Sniffing Dogs At Home Games

[Amber]

The Miami Heat will be implementing coronavirus-sniffing dogs at AmericanAirlines Arena as apart of their safety procedure while they welcome a limited number of fans back into the stands.

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The dogs have had practice being used during games where family and friends were invited into the arena. Coronavirus-sniffing dogs have been used at airports in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Helsinki.

"If you think about it, detection dogs are not new," said Matthew Jafarian, the Heat's executive vice president for business strategy. "You've seen them in airports, they've been used in mission-critical situations by the police and the military. We've used them at the arena for years to detect explosives."

Fans who wish to skip the dog sniffing process or are allegoric will be told to submit to a rapid antigen test.

"Researchers are finding that specially trained dogs can detect COVID on humans quickly and accurately," Jafarian said.

The organization will maintain less than 10% of the building's maximum capacity.

"Please note that seating will be very limited, as we will be observing proper physical distancing," the Heat told season-ticket holders in a new letter.

The first Heat game with fans will be held Thursday against the LA Clippers.

[Via]

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