For now, until much more is known about this threat, this is a minor step and a sensible one.

LAKELAND — Tuesday was just another day in the progression of the new coronavirus pandemic as an element in the American consciousness. But for the 0.01 percent of us in the media, it was the beginning of an era or, perhaps ominously, the end of one.

Late Monday, Major League Baseball sent out a memo declaring that "On a temporary basis, effective on Tuesday, only players and essential personnel may enter locker rooms and clubhouses at MLB facilities. In a joint step with other professional sports leagues, we are requiring that Clubs relocate media availabilities to another area in their facilities. ..."

In other words, media no longer have access to major league clubhouses. The same policy will go into effect immediately in the NBA, the NHL and MLS. Presumably the NFL will come up with a similar policy by the time it applies in July.

To use the new phraseology, pro athletes are now "self-quarantined" before, during and after games. Under the threatening and unpredictable circumstances, nobody could seriously dispute this. It could be viewed at some point as an overreaction, but not now. For now, until much more is known about this threat, this is a minor step and a sensible one.

"Everybody else out there is in the same boat we are," observed Tiger pitcher Matthew Boyd. "You're just trying to put yourself in the best-case scenario. That's what's going on with it. You understand it's contagious, and when it's contagious without showing signs, that's the toughest part about this thing. It's the flu, but how can it be contagious when you don't show signs? They're just trying to avoid people that don't know that they have it."

What the Tigers did Tuesday — and will continue to do — is bring people into a lobby behind the clubhouse, where a small area is roped off to keep a distance between the interviewers and the person being interviewed.

The policy will reduce the chances of infectious interaction from very small to minuscule. For now. That formula could change for better or for worse.

The questions now involve how long this precaution will be necessary and what comes next, and these questions go far beyond baseball and sports. Italy is shut down. Every day we learn of this virus popping up somewhere else. Congressmen have self-quarantined. Concerts, school sessions and flights are being canceled every day.

One-time events are relatively easy to cancel. Long-term events, like the NCAA basketball tournaments, are another matter. Or how about a portion of a sports season?

So far, the consequences in the sports world have been a little inconvenient, but hardly tragic. Major league players have received a memo encouraging them not to sign autographs, or if they do, to reduce personal contact as much as possible.

"It makes it rough for those little kids who want autographs," said Tiger outfielder Cameron Maybin. "I've got three kids of my own so I know what it is to be a young fan. It's kind of tough right now to tell a kid: 'Hey, sorry but we can't sign because of the coronavirus.

"But that's where we are, and we have to take the necessary precautions.''