Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets Players Test Positive For Coronavirus
Mar 17, 2020, 4:23 PM | Updated: 4:30 pm
Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Four additional cases of coronavirus have been identified in the NBA bringing the total number of players who have tested positive to seven. The Brooklyn Nets are the latest team to be struck by the virus as four members of the roster, including sidelined superstar Kevin Durant have tested positive.
While three Nets players who have tested positive for COVID-19 have yet to be identified, Durant spoke publically about the diagnosis to The Athletic’s Shams Sharania.
Durant told Sharania that he has not had symptoms despite the positive test and has told his fans, “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We’re going to get through this.”
Kevin Durant tested positive for coronavirus, Durant tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Durant says he is feeling fine: "Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We're going to get through this."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 17, 2020
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for the virus, followed by teammate Donovan Mitchell and Detroit Pistons big man Christian Wood.
Only one of the four Nets players to test positive is currently experiencing symptoms from the virus. Brooklyn last played March 10 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nets are the first team to test positive for the virus who had had no recenter interaction with the Jazz.
Wednesday will mark one week since the NBA shuttered its doors after Gobert’s diagnosis.
New NBA Guidelines
The NBA released new guidelines for its players while the league is on hiatus. Immediately following the league’s suspension players were told they must return to their team’s home cities where they were to remain but avoid meeting with fellow teammates.
On Monday, the league loosened those guidelines to allow players to travel out of their home market, though restrictions still apply. Players must report their location to the league, self-isolate or remain quarantined and are encouraged to check in with their team’s health experts daily.
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How Do I Prevent It?
The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:
- Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
- Avoid touching your face
- Stay home when you are sick
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
The CDC does not recommend wearing a facemask respirator to protect yourself from coronavirus unless a healthcare professional recommends it.
