NBA sees major improvement in league’s positivity rate for COVID-19
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced Thursday that eight out of 541 players tested positive for COVID-19 since Dec. 2.
That marked an improvement from the 48 players who tested positive in the initial return-to-market testing between Nov. 24 – Dec. 1. The NBA had hoped and anticipated improvement in the league’s positivity rate once all 30 teams were subject to daily testing and safety protocols.
Over the summer, the NBA confirmed a total of 46 positive COVID-19 tests leading up to its restarted season on a quarantined campus in Florida. Once training camp started, the league said it had zero positive cases among players, coaches and staff members.
Although the NBA anticipates positive cases throughout its 72-game season, it said in its health and safety protocols that “a small or otherwise expected number of COVID-19 cases will not require a decision to suspend or cancel the 2020-21 season.” Still, the NBA outlined an 158-page document with health and safety protocols in hopes to mitigate the risk.
At home and on trips, participants are forbidden from attending bars, lounges, nightclubs and any indoor gatherings of more than 15 people. They also can only eat at restaurants that have outdoor dining or privatized indoor options. All 30 teams are required to hire outside consultants that monitor these rules as well as oversee the daily testing, contact tracing, social distancing, sanitary and mask-wearing procedures.
The NBA has also said it will penalize players and teams that break or fail to enforce the rules, including fines, suspensions, loss of draft picks and game forfeiture.
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