The Coronavirus has had hit the entire world hard. In the hardest hit countries, China and Italy, the entire economy was hit, and many events cancelled. In Italy, the entire population has been told today to stay home except to go to work, for emergencies and for health reasons, with the quarantine being enforced by the police. Sporting events were cancelled or played before empty stands to limit the spread of the disease. While Canada and the US are still a long way from that, 20 universities in the US have already closed in response to the disease. In an attendance driven league like the CFL a shutdown could be catastrophic. The Argos, who have the biggest attendance problems in the league, could even be hit hard simply by loyal fans staying away from a mass event, such as a football game, because of the virus.

The Coronavirus is sometimes compared to the 1918-19 global pandemic that killed 20-100 million people (statistics back then were spotty at best). The 1918-19 pandemic shut down the Stanley Cup playoffs between the Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Metropolitans with the series tied 2-2 in games while a fifth game ended in a tie. When several players on the Canadiens became sick Montreal was unable to put a team on the ice and the playoffs were cancelled. One of the players, Joe Hall, later died. It's possible that we may get lucky and avoid the worst possible effects of the pandemic but that is certainly not guaranteed. Below is an account of the 1919 Stanley Cup series and cancelation.

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