This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
Published on June 27, 2020, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the league remains 'very comfortable' with its decision to restart the season in Florida, despite a dramatic surge in coronavirus cases in the state.
During a conference call with reporters, Silver emphasized that the league would be prepared to halt play if there was a significant outbreak amongst NBA players and personnel inside the league's 'bubble' at Disney World in Orlando.
However, Silver expressed confidence that the protocols put in place at the Disney World campus would be sufficient to shield NBA players and staff from the worst of the escalating COVID-19 crisis in surrounding areas.
Florida health officials announced 8,942 new cases of the disease on Friday, shattering the previous single-day record of 5,511 set earlier in the week.
According to Silver, isolated coronavirus cases that emerge during the restarted season would see players placed in quarantine.
He stated that if a single player tests positive, the player would be placed in quarantine, and the team would be down a man, treating the positive test as an injury and continuing with the playoffs.
However, Silver acknowledged that a larger outbreak could lead to the season being halted, and the league is working closely with the players association, Disney, and public health officials in Florida to define the line at which the season would be stopped.
