While the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets quickly received coronavirus tests, the general public has been left waiting, sparking a backlash over privileged athletes’ and celebrities’ access to care.
“We wish them a speedy recovery. But, with all due respect, an entire NBA team should NOT get tested for COVID-19 while there are critically ill patients waiting to be tested,” tweeted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio after it was reported the Nets had been tested and four players were isolated after positive coronavirus results.
“Tests should not be for the wealthy, but for the sick.”
As the coronavirus spreads and the United States deals with a shortage of test kits, the public has grown increasingly disgruntled over the ease by which professional athletes get tested while others displaying symptoms are forced to wait.
The highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the virus has now infected close to 8,000 Americans while the death toll has climbed to at least 145.
WATCH: America250 backdrop topples near Shapiro, Revolutionary War reenactors
Navy scraps Biden-era submarine contract as overhaul costs surge toward $3B
Unfortunate Video: Mamdani Thought Walking Through NYC Was a Great Photo Op, Then People Noticed What Was Behind Him
Report: Roger Stone Stepped in and ‘Saved’ Tulsi Gabbard from Being Fired by Trump
Nation’s second-largest school district targeted by Trump over secretive trans policy
Video: Hunter Biden Hits New Rock Bottom, Agrees to Insane Cage Match Against Don Jr., Eric Trump
BREAKING IMPEACHMENT NEWS: Hearings on Tim Walz, Keith Ellison Impeachment to Begin Next Week
Artemis II crew closes in on Earth as mission ends with Pacific splashdown and more top headlines
Midwest nasty: ‘Hoosier nice’ gets swamped in Trump White House’s redistricting revenge tour against Indiana Republicans
Sanford bets he can withstand likely Trump campaign jabs
Progressives in Washington, California, and Hawaii want to squeeze the wealthy
Rep Randy Fine joins House Freedom Caucus: ‘Strongest group of conservative patriots in Congress’
American couple’s Bahamas dinghy was ill-equipped for conditions night of wife’s disappearance: friend
Hormuz choke point persists as Iran halts oil traffic despite Trump ceasefire
DoorDash data offers snapshot of economy voters are feeling ahead of midterms
NBA commissioner Adam Silver, in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday, said he could understand de Blasio’s concern but the bigger one was that there are not enough tests available and that the league was simply following protocol.
“I of course understand his point and it’s unfortunate that we’re in this position as a society that it’s triage when it comes to testing,” said Silver, adding that eight full teams as well as individual players have been tested. “And so the fundamental issue is there are insufficient tests.
“But we’ve been following the recommendations of public health officials.”
USA Today reported last week that after Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus 58 members of the Jazz organization were tested.
INFECTED PLAYERS
So were the Oklahoma Thunder, the team the Jazz were scheduled to play last Wednesday, and the entire Toronto Raptors travelling squad who were concerned they might have come in contact with infected players during a visit to Salt Lake City on March 9.
The Los Angeles Lakers, the last team to play the Nets before the NBA season was suspended, announced on Wednesday their players were also undergoing tests for COVID-19.
WATCH: America250 backdrop topples near Shapiro, Revolutionary War reenactors
Navy scraps Biden-era submarine contract as overhaul costs surge toward $3B
Unfortunate Video: Mamdani Thought Walking Through NYC Was a Great Photo Op, Then People Noticed What Was Behind Him
Report: Roger Stone Stepped in and ‘Saved’ Tulsi Gabbard from Being Fired by Trump
Nation’s second-largest school district targeted by Trump over secretive trans policy
Video: Hunter Biden Hits New Rock Bottom, Agrees to Insane Cage Match Against Don Jr., Eric Trump
BREAKING IMPEACHMENT NEWS: Hearings on Tim Walz, Keith Ellison Impeachment to Begin Next Week
Artemis II crew closes in on Earth as mission ends with Pacific splashdown and more top headlines
Midwest nasty: ‘Hoosier nice’ gets swamped in Trump White House’s redistricting revenge tour against Indiana Republicans
Sanford bets he can withstand likely Trump campaign jabs
Progressives in Washington, California, and Hawaii want to squeeze the wealthy
Rep Randy Fine joins House Freedom Caucus: ‘Strongest group of conservative patriots in Congress’
American couple’s Bahamas dinghy was ill-equipped for conditions night of wife’s disappearance: friend
Hormuz choke point persists as Iran halts oil traffic despite Trump ceasefire
DoorDash data offers snapshot of economy voters are feeling ahead of midterms
The ability of NBA teams to secure tests on demand has drawn the wrath of fans on social media.
“The thing is that is always the case. The rich will always get it first and the poor will always get it last,” tweeted @thedrsec, who has over 23,000 followers and a radio program on 22 stations across seven states.
President Donald Trump waded into the issue during a news conference on Wednesday when he was asked, “How are non-symptomatic professional athletes getting tests while others are waiting in line and can’t get them? Do the well connected go to the front of the line?”
“No, I wouldn’t say so,” said the president. “But perhaps that’s the story of life. That does happen on occasion, and I’ve noticed where people have been tested fairly quickly.” In most cases the ability of teams to get their players tested has had more to do with money and going through private labs than state-run public health departments and jumping the queue.
The NBA also defended the speedy action as a way of preventing the spread of the virus with testing of players drawing it to the attention of young people.
WATCH: America250 backdrop topples near Shapiro, Revolutionary War reenactors
Navy scraps Biden-era submarine contract as overhaul costs surge toward $3B
Unfortunate Video: Mamdani Thought Walking Through NYC Was a Great Photo Op, Then People Noticed What Was Behind Him
Report: Roger Stone Stepped in and ‘Saved’ Tulsi Gabbard from Being Fired by Trump
Nation’s second-largest school district targeted by Trump over secretive trans policy
Video: Hunter Biden Hits New Rock Bottom, Agrees to Insane Cage Match Against Don Jr., Eric Trump
BREAKING IMPEACHMENT NEWS: Hearings on Tim Walz, Keith Ellison Impeachment to Begin Next Week
Artemis II crew closes in on Earth as mission ends with Pacific splashdown and more top headlines
Midwest nasty: ‘Hoosier nice’ gets swamped in Trump White House’s redistricting revenge tour against Indiana Republicans
Sanford bets he can withstand likely Trump campaign jabs
Progressives in Washington, California, and Hawaii want to squeeze the wealthy
Rep Randy Fine joins House Freedom Caucus: ‘Strongest group of conservative patriots in Congress’
American couple’s Bahamas dinghy was ill-equipped for conditions night of wife’s disappearance: friend
Hormuz choke point persists as Iran halts oil traffic despite Trump ceasefire
DoorDash data offers snapshot of economy voters are feeling ahead of midterms
“The NBA’s move to halt its season led the way for other leagues and raised awareness of the threat of the virus,” said Silver.
“My sense was that especially among young people, people were not taking these protocols very seriously until we did what we did.” (Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Additional reporting Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, Amy Tennery in New York, Editing by Ed Osmond)
Story cited here.
