The NBA is taking notice of the high number of COVID-19 cases in Florida, but it isn’t expected to alter plans to resume the season next month in Orlando, according to Baxter Holmes and Zach Lowe of ESPN.
Sources described commissioner Adam Silver as “resolute but somber” during a recent call with team executives. He acknowledged the seriousness of the recent rise in coronavirus cases in the state, but expressed confidence that the league’s bubble concept will protect players and staff members.
Florida set a single-day record Saturday with 4,049 new positive tests and has recorded record highs in seven of the past 10 days. The state is becoming a national hot spot with close to 94,000 total infections, but much of the increase is based in south Florida. The two counties where Walt Disney World is located in the central part of the state have a total of about 5,500 cases.
Players expressed their concerns this week in a virtual town hall conducted by the National Basketball Players Association, the authors add. Sources say a major topic was the lack of restrictions for WDW staffers, who will not live in the three hotels where the NBA will be stationed and will not be required to submit to coronavirus testing.
“Can’t say I am surprised, given the state’s approach to reopening,” NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said of the rising numbers. “We are obviously clearly monitoring the situation. While we take some solace in knowing our players will not travel commercially to get to Orlando, that access to the campus is severely limited and, of course, all of the other health and safety protocols in place, the numbers will keep our attention. If necessary to add further restrictions respecting those third parties having access to the campus, we will seek to implement them.”
She added that placing additional restrictions on resort employees may be difficult because they are union members.
The NBA’s health guidelines that were distributed to teams this week set limits on interactions with Disney staff members. Staff will be required to wear personal protective equipment and practice social distancing whenever they are in the same place as anyone from the league. Rooms will be serviced just once a week and only when the occupants are out. All bus drivers will be required to undergo coronavirus testing.
There was always going to be a higher count based on the increased testing of asymptomatic people. But deaths continue to plummet nationwide. A couple hotspots have some hospitalization issues. Still, for over 97% of people, the virus isn’t going to kill them, and it’s unlikely to even put them in the hospital.
Notice how the media have gone from talking about daily body counts to mere positives, without any context of increased testing, positive rate, etc. They’ll report whatever data suits them, to make things seem as dire as possible.
Should have said over 99%, not 97%.
The largest factor to consider is age. Your numbers are accurate for those under 65, but the mortality rate for seniors is much higher, they’re are at far greater risk.
Actually 99.6%. 99.92% for under 80, no underlying conditions.
The old saying from the newspaper industry “if it bleeds it leads” still holds true. Gotta keep the masses hysterical.
Yeah, just like the right wing coverage of the protests
oof…struck a nerve.
I mean, the positive test rate is way up in Florida as well.
Thank you. Apples to apples. And the rate should not necessarily go up. It depends on who gets tested but the most likely to have it have in theory already been tested, and people getting tested now are more and more likely to be just playing it safe.
The rule is, over time, testing finds more total but less percentage.
Any covid19 stat probably relies most on prevention efforts, but they’re not called prevention stats. Prevention is hard to quantify.
Face covers only work, to the extent they can work, when they cover the nose. Hopefully union rules cover that adequately.
Should’ve held this in New York or California
Do we know if there is any sort of contingency plan? Like switching to 3-game series or reducing the number of playoff teams?