In the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Miami Heat will host fans in person during future games using coronavirus-sniffing dogs.
Last week, the NBA team revealed they will be using specially trained dogs at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The animals have been taught to sit next to an attendee if the COVID-19 virus is identified.
If a dog sits next to an attendee, it will refuse the participant and their group entry into the arena.
The team will allow around 1,500 season ticket holders to attend the home game in Miami against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, a limit of less than 10 percent of the arena’s capacity.
Fans who are uncomfortable with dogs or allergic to animals can choose to take a rapid coronavirus test that can be treated in less than 45 minutes. All fans must be screened at the arena, and a recent COVID-19 test cannot be confirmed.
If an attendee has obtained the COVID-19 vaccine, the dogs will not signal. Fans would also have to complete a health screening questionnaire and take other measures for the coronavirus, such as wearing a face mask.
The animals were used this season in previous games where the team allowed a limited number of visitors to participate, such as friends and family of players and employees, the Associated Press reported.
“If you think about it, detection dogs are not new,” Matthew Jafarian, the Heat’s executive vice president for business strategy, said. “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.”
In Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and Helsinki, Finland airports, coronavirus-sniffing dogs have been used.
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