As novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country and the world at large, the nation’s public services infrastructure faces an unprecedented challenge that will likely put a strain on its ability to contain the virus and provide adequate care for those afflicted. Health officials have already been advising people to implement social distancing precautions, namely avoiding large gatherings.
In recent days, sports leagues have found themselves on the front lines of what the World Health Organization has officially designated a pandemic. The NCAA has announced that they will play the upcoming March Madness Tournament with no fans in attendance, and on Wednesday, the NBA released a statement saying that a decision would be made no later than Thursday about whether they would continue playing games without fans or postpone games indefinitely.
The Jazz-Thunder game in OKC became the first casualty on Wednesday night when the game was abruptly postponed just prior to tip-off. Various reports indicated that both Rudy Gobert and Emmanuel Mudiay were suffering from unspecified illnesses, and that the two teams had been waiting on confirmation from the league as to whether they could proceed with the game. Instead, arena officials announced the postponement and asked fans to leave the arena.
It wasn’t long after that the team announced that Gobert has tested positive for Coronavirus, and the league subsequently decided to put the season officially on hiatus. NBA players quickly took to social media with their reactions.
W.T.F π€¦π½ββοΈ https://t.co/CefyvKFmfl
β Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) March 12, 2020
Wow https://t.co/nOVU1NQFEl pic.twitter.com/OO0Zs5R3PZ
β Jusuf NurkiΔ (@bosnianbeast27) March 12, 2020
Damn
β Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) March 12, 2020
THIS SHIT WILD!
β Evan Turner (@thekidet) March 12, 2020
β Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) March 12, 2020
Wow
β Zach LaVine (@ZachLaVine) March 12, 2020
No games no pay π hope everybody saved properly https://t.co/mxrdpvNalf
β CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) March 12, 2020
If youβre gonna take precaution, if any. Take all precautions π€·πΎββοΈ
β Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) March 12, 2020
Devin Booker was live on Twitch playing Call of Duty when the news broke and had the same reaction of many.
Wow. Devin Booker found out about the NBA suspension while he was live on Twitch.
(πΉ:@KellanOlson)pic.twitter.com/RWsEji5TnF
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) March 12, 2020
This is crazy π³π³π³
— Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13) March 12, 2020
What in the HELL is going on..? Wow.
β Meyers Leonard (@MeyersLeonard) March 12, 2020
We’ll continue to provide updates throughout the night as the story unfolds.
