NBA Star and Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook announced on Monday that he tested positive for COVID-19 before the team's departure to Orlando.

Russell Westbrook
NBA

The safety of NBA players and other essential persons before the NBA resumes on July 30 is the topmost priority. NBA suspended its season on March 11 due to the global pandemic, and after the first NBA player, Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus.

On Monday, NBA star and Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook announced that he tested positive for the virus through his social media account. Westbrook added that he is feeling well, and he is anticipating joining his team once he is cleared for the COVID-19.

He also confirmed in a statement that he is now quarantined. Moreover, he urged everyone to take the virus seriously, always be safe, and wear facemasks all the time.

CNN News also reports that aside from Russell Westbrook, James Harden has not yet joined the rest of the team in Orlando before the NBA season resumes. Meanwhile, Rockets' Thabo Sefolosha choose not to play as the season returns on July 30 because of the danger brought by COVID-19.

In another report from USA Today, two players out of 322 have tested positive for the virus. In an official statement released by NBA, the league said that the players who tested positive for the virus never cleared quarantine.

The league also said that they had left the Campus to isolate themselves at home or in isolation housing. However, it is not clear as who to who is the second NBA player who tested positive for the virus aside from Russell Westbrook.

COVID-19 test positivity rate of less than one percent is a good sign and a promising start for the NBA. The sports league is trying to complete the season while staying at Disney resorts and playing other games in the three nearby arenas.

Meanwhile, the NBA season's resumption in Florida could be challenging because the state has recorded the highest positivity rate compared to other states across the country. Florida has recorded at least 15,000 new positive cases on Sunday, the highest so far in the country.

NBA attempts to finish the season in early October and will crown the new NBA Champion. However, the success of finishing the season depends on how the league manages to avoid virus spread or at least control and limit the outbreak.

Before the NBA decided to resume the season, they first consulted experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, in creating the health and safety protocols and guidelines. The document had detailed instructions that players need to follow before and during arriving in Florida.

Part of the protocol is to limit the number of essential persons during the game. This ensures that if someone tests positive for the virus, contact tracing will quickly be done.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that if there will be a significant spread of COVID-19 through the community, that might stop the season again. However, he assured that he is working closely with the Players' Association, Disney, and public health officials in Florida.

Last June 26, Commissioner Adam Silver said that the league wants to get down on the ground and start to see how the testing and protocols are working, then they will make some decisions as the league resumes.

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