Coronavirus: Baseball Hall of Fame closes indefinitely amid outbreak

The Hall will shut its doors on Sunday afternoon

The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York has closed down indefinitely in response to the novel coronavirus global pandemic. The Hall will close to the public starting at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. 

Here's the full statement from the Hall:

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced today that it will close to the public beginning Sunday, March 15 at 5 p.m. ET.

This precautionary measure is being implemented in accordance with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and government officials to limit opportunities for large gatherings and the further spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The Hall of Fame will provide updated information regarding this closure on each subsequent Sunday at Noon ET beginning on March 22. These updates will be shared on the Hall of Fame's website and via the Hall of Fame's social media channels.

It's too soon to know whether Hall of Fame Weekend will be imperiled by the outbreak. Hall of Fame Weekend 2020 is scheduled for July 24-27. Only July 26, a Hall of Fame class of four is scheduled to be inducted. Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were elected by the BBWAA, and Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller were elected by the Modern Baseball Era Committee. 

As well, on Saturday, July 25, the annual J.G. Taylor Spink Award for writers will be presented posthumously to Nick Cafardo, the 2020 Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters will be presented to Ken Harrelson, and David Montgomery will be posthumously honored with the 2020 Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that can cause illnesses as minor as a cold, or as serious as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to the World Health Organization. The virus can cause symptoms including fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But while some patients only show mild symptoms and recover, others have developed life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia, CBS News reports. 

CBS News has the latest updates about the virus, which has affected various sports globally and in the United States. Here at CBS Sports we have running updates on how sports leagues are responding to coronavirus.