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The NBA has suspended the season for a minimum of at least 30 days due to the increasing risk of COVID-19, as teams continue to take action along with officials from sports leagues around the world. As PhillyVoice’s Kyle Neubeck reported, the Philadelphia 76ers have been advised to self-quarantine after their game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
On Saturday, March 7, the Pistons played the Utah Jazz, who now have two confirmed cases of coronavirus on the team, as both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have tested positive. This obviously only increases the concern for the Sixers, and heightens the need to act swiftly.
Neubeck included the following comment in his report:
The Sixers say these precautions have been taken, “based on our recent game schedule and who we played, and we are in the process of organizing for our players to receive COVID-19 testing, as well as testing for staff who came in close contact with our players or exhibit symptoms.”
It goes without saying how important it is that the Sixers take all precautions to ensure the safety of their players and staff members as soon as possible. There is currently no advice regarding testing and self-quarantine for fans who attended Wednesday’s game against the Pistons. Neubeck noted that the Sixers do not currently have such information from the health officials they’ve been consulting with.
Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia has added that the timing of testing for Sixers players and staff members is still uncertain, due to the availability of test kits.
One more note regarding COVID-19 testing of Sixers players & staffers, I’m told timing of testing is currently uncertain. From what I understand, it’s simply dependent on the availability of the kits. https://t.co/QJhcZuKIcW
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 12, 2020
Update: The Athletic’s Shams Charania has reported the following policies that the NBA is implementing for all teams.
The NBA has informed all 30 teams on policies effective immediately and through March 16, including:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 12, 2020
- All players must remain in market of team
- Players remain home as long as possible
- NO group workouts, practices
- Team physicians/trainers speak to each player once a day
We will continue to post all updates regarding how the NBA and the Sixers deal with this situation moving forward.
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