As a Type 1 diabetic, Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris was used to taking many of the same precautions during flu season as people all across all the world are now taking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Morris spoke with ESPN FC's Austin Lindberg for a story released on Thursday about how he's managing during the ongoing crisis, given that he has one of the seven conditions that carry a greater risk for severe illness from COVID-19 according to the Center for Disease Controls and Prevention, and that he resides in an area of the country that was the first major hotspot in the United States.
"It can definitely be a little bit scary to see that [coronavirus warning]," Morris told Lindberg. "I think, having diabetes, I understand that you have to take really good care of yourself in order to avoid complications in the future, so it's kind of been a similar mindset with coronavirus: you have to take really good care of yourself and follow the guidelines to avoid getting sick.
"Seattle was one of the first in the US to have a little bit of an outbreak, it's really sad, of course," he added. "I think Washington state in general has done a really good job following the guidelines and helping to flatten the curve of newly diagnosed cases. So I think the community here has done a good job of coming together and seeing how important of a situation this is."
Morris also said his hope is that Washington and the rest of the country stick with those guidelines, and that while he's hopeful for MLS to return as soon as possible, it shouldn't be done too early in a way that could lead to a new spike in cases that could lead to another shutdown.
"It's really frustrating [to see people flouting stay-at-home guidelines] because I think so many people are doing the right thing, staying at home and following the guidelines to help flatten the curve, but it's not going to fully come to an end until everyone takes it really seriously and understands how serious of an issue it is," he said. "While some people may think they're not as high of a risk, there's a lot of people that are, so by staying at home, you're going to help a lot of people.
"If people truly believe that -- whenever that time is -- it's safe for us to go back, if there's any question at all, I don't think it should happen because you don't want a repeat of a new spike [of cases] if things get going too early. Obviously I'm not a medical professional, so I can't weigh in too much on all that, but as long as people who know a lot more about what they're talking about deem it safe then I think it would be OK, but not until that point. Everyone's health and safety comes first."
