16 of 302 tested NBA players test positive for coronavirus ahead of Orlando restart
Of the 302 players tested, 16 tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA and NBPA said in a joint statement on Friday.
“Any player who tested positive will remain in self-isolation until he satisfies public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and has been cleared by a physician,” both organizations said in the statement.
All teams started mandatory testing for players this week and some of the league's biggest stars have tested positive. Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, Indiana Pacers' Malcolm Brogdon and Sacramento Kings' Jabari Parker are among the players who have tested positive.
When players report to the Disney World campus, any player who tests positive for the coronavirus will be placed in "isolation housing" and take another test to confirm that they're positive, per Charania. A player must then test negative twice before returning to the NBA's Disney campus.
Every player will be tested nightly while on campus, and the results are expected to come in the morning. The NBA is in discussions with national coronavirus testing providers such as BioReference Laboratories, LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics and Vault Health/RUCDR Infinite Biologics at Rutgers to finalize its testing program, Charania reports.
Anyone traveling with the team, including staff, coaches and family members will be required to sign forms acknowledging that they will follow the NBA's safety protocols.
The staff working at NBA bubble sites will be subject to strict health and safety protocols. They'll always have to wear a face mask and gloves, will have strict physical distancing guidelines, temperature and symptom checks and housekeeping will never be in NBA player rooms while they're in them.
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