With the second phase of the NBA’s return-to-play plan getting underway today, mandatory coronavirus testing will begin for players on teams who will be part of the Orlando restart this summer, and those clubs are bracing for a “significant” number of positive tests, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Full training camps won’t officially begin until July 11, after teams have reported to Orlando. Players who take part in group workouts at that time will have tested negative for COVID-19 at least twice upon arriving at Walt Disney World. During the two weeks before teams travel to Orlando, those clubs will look to identify and quarantine any players who have contracted the virus to ensure that they don’t bring it with them into the bubble.
According to Wojnarowski, one Western Conference playoff team had four positive coronavirus tests within the past few weeks. Meanwhile, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports that two Suns players have tested positive, prompting the team to temporarily shut down voluntary workouts at its Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum practice facility.
While an increasing number of positive tests in the coming days will likely prompt questions about the NBA’s restart plan, the league remains hopeful that by the time teams are ready to travel to Orlando around July 7, any affected players will either be fully recovered or will remain quarantined as they recover.
I’m wondering if there is any care or concern for staff who are going? Everyone is so concerned about the players and their safety or potential earning potential, but I havent heard one ounce of consideration given to training staff, equipment managers etc. They arent making millions, yet are also being pressured (because that’s what it is) to be away from their families for months, for no additional pay, with no insurance policy protecting them if they get very ill… and for what? For entertainment and more money for the rich? If money isn’t the true motivator (as per Silver), then would they really proceed with this falliable plan? No. As family of a staff member, I am beyond upset that my family must choose between going along with a risky and dangerous non essential endeavor or being ostracized at his job (despite this idea that he can decline participation). The NBA is not an essential service, and staff did not sign up for this. Please dont reply with comments suggesting I am whining and should be grateful. I am grateful but legitimately scared and would gladly forego some of my families income to be excused from the potential shit show.
I also ask.. how does the league justify allowing asymptomatic Covid.positive players to continue to practice and participate as long as they dont show symptoms? We dont know enough about this virus to take that chance. This is negligence on the part of the league and people are either too fearful or too greedy to speak up. Please do a story on that!
This is such a big mess. The country was on lockdown since March but yet not everyone was on lockdown. So you have folks like me who been sitting at home ALONE for 3 months. I can’t take it anymore, I want to go out and do stuff. But with these new cases, are we going to have another lockdown as things move to the second phase of this virus in November? This doesn’t look good.
Agree, but… There is no word yet, either way, on whether positive testers can can continue playing. The union wanted flexibilty there but so far, talk of play or not play are probably just assurances to keep the ball moving. They have just started testing– indeed just finalized the rules with the union– and it there is any transparency, we will find out the fate of positive-testers. Hopefully they get the Q., and don’t get forgiven if they’re stars. IDK.
[[So far as I know, calling people “positive” (not “asymptomatic”), is the key label. Both “symptomatic” and “asymptomatic” exist as subgroups of “positive” and both can spread (or “shed”) the infection. Thus, I use “positive”. I think using “asymptomatic” is originally, someone trying to make a point about how covid19 is different from regular “colds”, then gets imitated by others. But it is less precise in application, in things like union documents.
Any positive test is bad regardless of symptoms.
In regular colds/flus, the infected shed while symptomatic. In covid, the infection starts shedding very quickly, about two weeks before symptoms show.]]
The posters on this site generally do not hear the WDW angle so I appreciate Burger425. From the view of an NBA fan, WDW employees have arisen as a possible enemy to the plan’s success. I worry that assignments there are based on regular union rules which includes seniority, and not on choices from individuals or even WDW. Burger425 says there is pressure on workers, ouch.
I thought this would be worked out and a large employer could pick based on pandemic strategies. There are other large single-employer campuses. But it was not worked out, just left to WDW, basically, to the regular union.
Thanks for your reply and the info. I am not WDW family, but family of a team staff member( want to be transparent). My point is the same though. Lower paid staff have to go with the team and while they are permitted to decline, there is no such thing as “without consequence.” I would give up a percentage of my husband’s pay for him to be excused. But how can a staff member refuse to go with his team to the playoffs, without being seen as a pussy, or slacker or disloyal? He would be shunned. Never mind that we are not young and I have serious preexisting conditions. The players negotiated millions in insurance if they get covid and have lasting effects. What if an equipment manager gets covid and had permanent lung damage, clotting issues whatever that last a lifetime? We dont know the entirety of what this virus can do, even in people who do not get terribly sick in the moment. I just think its irresponsible overall, and even more so bc Florida is blowing up. As far as the WDW employees go, they arent even staying on campus. So there is no bubble! And the rings they are giving players? Come on. They cant detect covid with any proven certainty. If they could, everyone in the nation would have one. It’s all marketing to get people to believe this is a sound plan when it is not. I understand the idea that people have jobs to do and put themselves at risk for much less money and glory, but that should only be the case for essential services. NBA is not essential. Lastly, if this has to happen, send 8 or 16 teams, let them scrimmage and play and be done with it. Arriving July 7 but not even playing until July 30 is ridiculous. Families should not be separated for months and the lower play in teams don’t have enough of a chance to win, to make it worth the risk.
Orlando’s pro women soccer team had 6 players and 4 staff test positive for covid which caused their withdrawal from the NWSL playoffs. Your concerns are shared by many and are not unfounded.
Thank you both for the validation. I, too, have been sitting at home, following guidelines and taking this seriosuly. Its frustrating to think it could all be for nothing, since anyone who opts out, is seen as the antithesis of a “team player ” (staff included). I hope this all.fallas apart because it needs to. Like you said, look at soccer. All leagues and teams seem to be issues. I thought covid would show people what really matters and instead, I’m seeing that the dollar still matters more. Sad
The more positive tests the better, the point is getting herd immunity, it’s only a virus, not even a bad one, stop wasting life for one of the minor threats ever, so many viruses kill so much more people EVERY year & no one cares! I still keep asking myself, why all the fuss for this particular virus?
B/c at least almost half a million people worldwide have been killed in a couple of months….that’s just the documented cases. How ridiculous can you get? Still sticking to the same thing at this point is insanity
Not sure that is the right usage of “herd immunity”, but the phrase might be getting purposed to mean a terminal point for a SARS-honed Darwinism (survival of the fittest, in this case virus resistance).
Originally it meant that part of a person’s immune system was other people around you being healthy too and not spreading it to you. Of course, this could be a benefit from Darwinism having been in play. But not necessarily, and not from what we have so far, which is not killing many people of child-bearing age. Maybe this would apply in some future SARSy wave.
But positives would probably still be be bad under Darwinism because science should be able to move faster than that. It hasn’t yet but the virus class is new, called novel, which means new not a kind of book.