Puerto Rico criticized Major League Baseball for moving a scheduled two-game series on May 30 and 31 from San Juan to Miami because of concerns about the Zika virus.
Some players on the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates objected to playing in Puerto Rico, according to reports.
“MLB
and the Players Association did everything possible to adequately address the
concerns raised by players and still play the games in Puerto Rico. Despite
extensive efforts, they were unable to develop a workable solution,” MLB said
in a statement.
Officials
at Meet Puerto Rico (the island's convention bureau) said that MLB ignored the steps that Puerto Rico had taken to combat the virus and prevent
its spread.
“Puerto
Rico has undertaken major efforts, including collaboration with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Puerto Rico Department
of Health to combat the virus. Hypothetical projections and worst-case
scenarios are scaring our potential visitors. By mid-summer, all but 10 states
of the U.S. will be at risk for Zika, including Florida, where this game
series is being moved,” said Milton Segarra, Meet Puerto Rico's CEO.
In
the past three months, Puerto Rico has hosted 95 groups with an estimated
attendance of 40,000 people, including approximately 100 baseball scouts and
executives.
Segarra
pointed out that the U.S. men’s national soccer team is scheduled to play in
Puerto Rico on May 22.
“Our
attendees have followed the instructions provided by the CDC. To our knowledge,
none of the attendees has contracted Zika,” Zegarra said in a statement.
“As
of May 5, of the almost 3.6 million people who live in Puerto Rico, 730 had Zika
and these cases were not in the tourist areas,” Segarra said.