NBA players who are expected to report to Disney World near Orlando in the next few weeks expressed concerns about the safety of the restart as Florida’s positive cases of the novel coronavirus have rocketed upwards, according to Baxter Holmes and Zach Lowe of ESPN.
According to CDC numbers, Florida’ 4,049 new cases on Saturday broke the previous single-day record of 3,822 set the day before. The state is approaching 94,000 infections and, along with Texas and Arizona, has become a national hot spot as the NBA prepares to send its players to a bubble-type set up on Disney’s campus.
Per ESPN, players expressed concerns about the number of infections to the Players Union (NBPA) on a virtual town hall, particularly since Disney workers will not be required to stay isolated in the bubble with players. Those workers include hotel housekeepers charged with cleaning player rooms on a regular basis, although according to ESPN, the drivers of team buses will be required to undergo testing.
Players Association director Michele Roberts, speaking to ESPN, called out Florida’s “approach to reopening” — seven weeks ago, as business resumed, Florida governor Ron DeSantis said the state had not seen the expected explosion of cases (according to the Guardian, Florida had 327 new positive cases on the day of DeSantis’ press conference).
“We are obviously clearly monitoring the situation,” Roberts told ESPN. “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.”
Public health experts and epidemiologists have praised the NBA’s plan for restarting its season, which was suspended on March 11 after Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. In the wake of Gobert’s positive test, a few other players tested positive as well, including Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart. The league has said it does not expect that a positive test in Florida will derail its restart (in fact, it expects a few positive tests both as players start testing and as the plan unfolds). How the league will proceed in the event of an outbreak remains to be seen.
League spokesman Mike Bass released a statement to ESPN, saying the NBA is “closely monitoring the data in Florida and Orange County and will continue to work collaboratively with the National Basketball Players Association, public health officials and medical experts regarding our plans.”