Yer out! Major League Baseball games set to add cameras in stadiums that detect fans who are not wearing a mask as part of plans to safely reopen amid pandemic

  • MLB teams are considering tech to monitor face-mask usage at ballparks
  • The software can catch people not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly 
  • The 2020 baseball season was delayed nearly four months due to the pandemic
  • Currently teams are playing in empty stadiums 

By DAN AVERY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: | Updated:

Major League Baseball teams are looking into introducing camera technology to ballparks that could detect whether or not fans are wearing masks in the stands. 

The software could also flag attendees who are wearing them improperly, like leaving their nose uncovered or dangling them around their neck. 

Several teams are in talks with Airspace Systems Inc, a California security firm with technology that can scan security footage for mask 'hot spots.' 

In trial runs, the Airspace system was able to clock mask use with over 80 percent accuracy. 

The Boston Red Sox's Tzu-Wei Lin wears a mask during summer training at Fenway Park on July 17, 2020. MLB delayed the new season nearly four months because of the coronavirus pandemic

The Boston Red Sox's Tzu-Wei Lin wears a mask during summer training at Fenway Park on July 17, 2020. MLB delayed the new season nearly four months because of the coronavirus pandemic

The program then identifies if a person is wearing a face covering.  

It would still be up to the team to decide how to deal with potential violators. 

The MLB has declined to reveal which teams were considering the software or if it would be used on players as well as fans. 

Currently, games are being held in empty stadiums.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the MLB to delay the 2020 season by nearly four months. Since then, the Miami Marlins have reported at least 21 cases among players and staff. 

Airspace System's software can detect if someone is wearing a mask or not, or wearing one improperly. In a trial run, it identified mask use with more than 80 percent accuracy. Pictured is New York Mets Dominic Smith

Airspace System's software can detect if someone is wearing a mask or not, or wearing one improperly. In a trial run, it identified mask use with more than 80 percent accuracy. Pictured is New York Mets Dominic Smith

The St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies have also confirmed multiple infections. 

Though some players wear masks on the diamond, the league doesn't require them to. Others have complained face coverings make it hard to breathe while playing. 

Several players, including the New York Mets' Yoenis Cespedes and Marcus Stroman, are sitting out this season over coronavirus concerns. 

Unlike the NBA, WBA, and NHL, Major League Baseball has not put players in a quarantine 'bubble' during the season. The league has tightened health guidelines, however, including limiting meetings between players and staff and requiring both to wear masks while traveling. 

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is also reportedly considering separate bubbles in three different time zones for the playoffs. 

Unlike the NBA, WBA, and NHL, Major League Baseball has not put players in a quarantine 'bubble' during the season. Though some players wear masks on the diamond, they're not required. Pictured is Ji-Man Choi of the Tampa Bay Rays

Unlike the NBA, WBA, and NHL, Major League Baseball has not put players in a quarantine 'bubble' during the season. Though some players wear masks on the diamond, they're not required. Pictured is Ji-Man Choi of the Tampa Bay Rays

In Korea, where baseball fans were welcomed back in July, the Korea Baseball Organization this week increased stadium capacity from 10 percent to 25 percent. 

Attendees must still get their temperature checked, sit at least one seat apart from each other, and always wear masks.

In the US, though, face coverings have become a partisan issue, with some states mandating them and others not. Violence has broken out in restaurants and stores when non-users have been confronted.

Using mask-detection software would add convenience, save money on staff, and avoid ugly encounters, Airspace CEO Jaz Banga said. 

'People confronting others about masks, it's a tinderbox,' Banga told Business Insider. 'You don't know how people are going to react. You can't have people doing it. It has to be machines.'

He added that Airspace's technology doesn't identify individuals and has no facial recognition capabilities. 'We don't even know how to do it,' Banga told Bloomberg.    

Banga, who launched Airspace in 2015, is also in discussions to use his mask-identification software in US airports. 

California

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