NBA issues coronavirus mandates for all 30 teams

After suspending the 2019-20 NBA season Wednesday night, the league has issued coronavirus mandates for all 30 teams effective through March 16.

The NBA and its fans are still reeling from Wednesday night’s tough but necessary decision to suspend the 2019-20 season in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Now that both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz have tested positive, the league is taking full measures to prevent this illness from spreading any further.

According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, the NBA has issued mandates to all 30 teams, which will go into effect immediately and last through Monday, March 16.

Here’s a look at the protocol:

• All players must remain in the market of their team
• Players should remain home as much as possible
• No group workouts, practices or meetings
• Team physicians will speak to each player once a day

Wednesday night, a game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz was first delayed, then postponed upon the discovery that Gobert’s prior illness was in fact coronavirus. Though Gobert was not at the arena for the game, his interactions with teammates, staff and media who covered the team were enough to prompt the league to suspend the season, go into full lockdown mode and test the Jazz organization for coronavirus.

Early Thursday morning, it was confirmed that Mitchell also had coronavirus, and in response to this inevitable outbreak, the league had no choice but to take action with more direct measures to keep everyone safe.

Teams that had recently come into contact with the Jazz had already been instructed to self-isolate, and now it appears the whole league is trying to put a stop on personnel movement during this uncomfortable time without sports.

To date, more than 115,000 coronavirus cases (and 4,200 deaths) have been confirmed in more than 70 countries worldwide, including the United States, which has seen more than 1,000 affected Americans and 31 deaths. The World Health Organization declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Jan. 30 and countries have implemented curfews, travel bans and mandatory quarantines to help prevent its spread.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.