Heat’s New Secret Weapon – COVID Sniffing Dogs
By Jarrod Mains
The Miami Heat’s answer to getting some of the best fans back: Man’s Best Friend
The Miami Heat are no stranger to looking at what works in Europe and bringing it to the USA. Back in 2009 when I was working as a Ticket Sales Rep with the Heat, they installed something called “Mediamesh” on the AA Arena.
The Heat were the first US sports team to install this new technology which was being widely used at European football stadiums.
Mediamesh is basically a large LED display which was placed facing Biscayne Ave on the front of the arena while allowing natural light and ventilation to filter through. It’s basically a big digital billboard yet you can see through it when standing inside the arena.
If you have been to a Heat game and/or even drove by the arena you have seen it. It’s very cool technology.
But what about the dogs? Are they safe?
Rest assured, “dogs themselves cannot catch the coronavirus since they lack the receptor to which the coronavirus attaches,” according to the United Nations Regional Information Center for Western Europe. Whew, that is good to know as I’m sure PETA would have hounded the Heat if any of these canine heroes wind up catching the virus.
In all seriousness, bravo to the Heat for finding a solution to get fans back into games and for setting a trend, as I’m sure we will be seeing many more teams deploy these coronavirus detection dogs in the months to come. Maybe even as soon as the Super Bowl on February 7th.
Personally, I would have no problem having a dog walk by and sniff me before a game. If it allows me to get in the game and actually makes people feel a bit more comfortable sitting indoors at the arena during a pandemic, I’m all for it.
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If you plan on attending an upcoming Heat game in-person, click here to see the Heat’s other COVID-19 safety protocols implemented.
How do you feel about a dog detecting COVID? Leave your comments below.