North America's ongoing sports hiatus could last at least two months and the NBA is reportedly eyeing a minimum three-month suspension after federal officials recommended that all in-person events involving 50 people or more be called off for the next eight weeks.

Currently the NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer are all effectively on 30-day breaks in response to the global coronavirus pandemic that has already made a deep impact on the U.S. financial markets and has been blamed for at least 64 deaths in this country.

MLB pushed back opening day until mid-May at the earliest on Monday because of the new coronavirus after the federal government recommended restricting events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made the announcement following a conference call with executives of the 30 teams.

'The clubs remain committed to playing as many games as possible when the season begins,' the commissioner's office said in a statement.

But new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday night seem to suggest that sports in this country could for all intents and purposes be gone until May, if not later.

Mike Lemcke, from Richmond, Virginia, sits in an empty Greensboro Coliseum after the NCAA college basketball games were cancelled at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is reportedly considering a mid-June return for the league

'CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the next 8 weeks, organizers ... cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States,' it said. 'Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing.'

The eight-week window easily exceeds what would have been the remainder of the NHL's regular season, plus would cover about the first 25 percent of the MLB season - or roughly 40 games per team. It would also cast serious doubt on the ability to hold other major U.S. sporting events as planned, such as the Kentucky Derby in early May.

Meanwhile ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi reported that NBA owners and executives are bracing for the league to be out until mid-June - a week or so after the scheduled season was supposed to end.

While there are fears that the season may not resume, according to Wojnarowski, the league is considering several unprecedented possibilities, such as playing league games at teams' semi-private practice facilities, where broadcasters would have the opportunity to produce a different kind of television experience for fans.

The NBA was already bracing to play games without fans in arenas, something that would have started late last week had a player -- Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz -- not tested positive for the virus, COVID-19. Utah teammate Donovan Mitchell and Detroi's Christian Wood have tested positive since, but Gobert's diagnosis was enough for the league to say that it was suspending play.

'I've been feeling a little better every single day,' Gobert said in a video posted Sunday. He added, 'I wish I would have took this thing more seriously.'

Miami Marlins training staff sprays hand sanitizer on the players after the spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 12, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. Major League Baseball is suspending Spring Training and the first two weeks of the regular season due to the ongoing threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

Later Sunday, a person with knowledge of the matter said the NBA has sent teams a memo saying players can leave their home markets during the shutdown if they so choose - yet another clear sign that the game's hiatus is not ending anytime soon. But if those players do leave for another market, they must do so after coordinating plans with their teams and medical advisers.

The memo also told teams formal practices will remain off indefinitely, individual workouts at team facilities may continue and detailed other safeguards teams should be taking at this point, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the memo had not been released publicly.

The NBA has already been asking teams to share availability for their arenas through the end of July, a sign that the league is prepared to extend the season at least that long if necessary - and those moves came a couple of days before the CDC made its latest recommendation. The NBA regular season was to have ended April 15 and the NBA Finals were to have started June 4, with the season done on or before June 21.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover. In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered.

The Auburn fan section got creative by placing paper plate faces on the seats during the Class 1C boys high school basketball tournament championship game against Ogallala at Pinnacle Bank Arena, Saturday, March 14, 2020, in Lincoln, Neb. Crowds were limited to staff and immediate family due to concerns over the coronavirus. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some it can cause more severe illness, especially in older adults and people with existing health problems

It's not just the team sports that have been shut down: Pro tennis and golf have basically been called off for the next several weeks, with such marquee events as Indian Wells and the Miami Open in tennis and The Players Championship and Masters in golf either canceled or postponed. The NCAA men's Division I college basketball tournament - March Madness - was to release its bracket Sunday and start the now-canceled 68-team tournament Tuesday. The women's Division I tournament was to have started this week.

They've all been called off, as have all other winter- and spring-sport seasons at all levels of the NCAA. Most high school state associations have also had to cancel seasons and championships as well.

Some minor-league hockey leagues have canceled seasons, and it seems increasingly unlikely that the G League -- the NBA's minor league -- will resume play this season. Even a polo match in South Florida on Sunday was played without fans or reporters present, with organizers saying they needed to take ultimate precautions.

Some NBA players were spending Sunday at home playing video games; Miami's Goran Dragic posted a video of himself outside his house kicking a soccer ball around. Others, like Golden State's Stephen Curry, were urging their fans to continue taking the pandemic seriously.

'We all have to take responsibility for ourselves and do whatever it takes to #stopthespread,' Curry told his 14.1 million followers on Twitter. 'There's a sense of urgency to flatten the curve and give ourselves and the healthcare system the best chance to get through this pandemic. Share this message and let's protect each other!'

Omaha Skutt takes on Norris during the first day of the Nebraska boys state high school basketball tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena Thursday, March 12, 2020, in Lincoln, Neb. The fans were restricted to staff and immediate family members due to concerns over the coronavirus. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

MLB previously called off the rest of the spring training schedule on Thursday and said opening day, which had been scheduled for March 26, was postponed for at least two weeks. Teams and players agree that two to four weeks of additional spring training will be needed before the regular season begins.

The Major League Baseball Players Association sent an email to agents on Monday saying that for players who went home or to their team's regular-season city it would pay $1,100 allowances through April 9 to players on 40-man rosters as of March 13. That amount also would go to players with minor league contracts at big league spring training who were on 40-man rosters at the end of last season.

The union also is negotiating with MLB over resetting the dates for players with opt-out clauses in their deals. The sides also are likely to agree on a roster freeze.

This year marked the earliest opening day other than for international games. As it stood, Game 7 of the World Series would have been Oct. 28, and teams and players could push the postseason into November.

Any change to the 162-game schedule would necessitate bargaining over an array of issues, including when and how much players get paid and how much major league service they are credited for. Service time determines eligibility for free agency and salary arbitration.

MLB had not had a mass postponement of openers since 1995, when the season was shortened from 162 games to 144 following a 7 1/2-month players´ strike that also wiped out the 1994 World Series. Opening day was pushed back from April 2 to April 26 and player salaries were reduced by 11.1 percent because the games were lost due to a strike.

After a 32-day spring training lockout in 1990 caused opening day to be delayed a week until April 9, the season was extended by three days to allow each team a full 162-game schedule.

Baseball´s first strike lasted from April 1-13 in 1972, and the season started April 15. Teams played 153-156 games.

The 1918 season was cut short because of World War I. Provost Marshal Gen. Enoch Crowder announced a regulation on May 23 that men not involved in useful occupations appear before the draft board.

The War Department initially did not rule baseball was non-essential under the 'work or fight' order but Secretary of War Newton D. Baker announced on July 26 that baseball had to comply by September 1. After some negotiation, the regular season ended Sept. 2 with teams playing 123-131 games, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs in a World Series played from Sept. 5-11.