NBA coronavirus testing: 48 players tested positive last week
The NBA announced Wednesday that 48 NBA players tested positive for the coronavirus between Nov. 24 and Nov. 30.
A total of 546 players were tested.
“Anyone who has returned a confirmed positive test during this initial phase of testing in their team’s market is isolated until they are cleared for leaving isolation under the rules established by the NBA and the Players Association in accordance with CDC guidance,” the NBA said in a statement.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted that positive tests were expected by the league because players were beginning to enter their markets. Training camp began Tuesday, and players traveled from their homes, which for many are not in their team’s cities.
“This is … similar to when players were tested in-market prior to the July restart in Orlando,” Charania tweeted.
Everyone across NBA expected a number of positive tests because players are reentering their markets and restarting the league’s cohesive health/safety protocols. This is part of the process and similar to when players were tested in-market prior to the July restart in Orlando. https://t.co/kRm5X9avQQ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 2, 2020
During the first round of testing for the Orlando restart in July, 25 of 354 players tested positive for COVID-19. Two weeks later, the league reported just two positive cases. Once every player tested negative, there was not another positive case inside the bubble.
This season will likely not have that same trajectory, given as this is not the bubbled-off scenario, but the presence of the virus at the beginning of camp is similar to what the league saw during its restart.
Over the first five days of camp, players are only allowed to participate in individual workouts. Groups workouts will be allowed beginning Sunday and the Thunder’s first preseason game is Dec. 12.
