NBA, NBPA announce two positive coronavirus tests from Orlando quarantine

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It might be working.

The NBA's ambitious plan to restart its 2019-20 season in a so-called "bubble" on the Disney World campus showed a positive sign Monday. The league and National Basketball Players Association jointly announced that of 322 players tested for COVID-19 since teams began arriving in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and entered quarantine with daily testing, only two positive cases have returned.

The statement said those two players never cleared quarantine and are either isolating at home after leaving the campus or in isolation housing.

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This was always the most critical step to getting the restart off the ground — moving teams from their in-market quarantine periods to inside the bubble. That only two positive cases have thus far emerged has to be viewed as an encouraging sign, especially given that players are tested daily once inside the bubble.

The NBA and NBPA also announced that 19 players have tested positive since July 1, when testing began in each team's respective home markets as players gathered for their initial quarantine period.

Those players have remained in their home markets, and will stay there until they are cleared by CDC guidelines and NBA rules for exiting home isolation and entering the bubble. James Harden is one high-profile name that has yet to join the Rockets on the NBA campus, although the team has not specified why, which is each team's right.

Monday's news isn't to suggest the 22-team restart plan is in the clear. Hurdles can arise at any time (two players have already been publicly identified for breaking quarantine), particularly given that workers on the Disney campus aren't subjected to the same daily testing regimens that all NBA personnel are. The NBA and NBPA have instituted rules to limit contact for these workers and league personnel.

The Bulls, like the other seven teams not invited to the restart, are watching what is transpiring at Disney World closely. If the restart succeeds, it increases the chances for a second bubble for the teams left behind, which would be for development purposes and likely take place in Chicago.

RELATED: Sources: NBA considering Chicago, Wintrust Arena for 'Delete 8' bubble

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