Four Nets tested positive for coronavirus. Three – including Kevin Durant – were asymptomatic.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio – who’s facing charges of hypocrisy – criticized the Nets for testing the entire team amid a nationwide shortage of coronavirus tests.
Nets:
There's been a lot of pushback on Brooklyn and other NBA teams/players getting coronavirus tests while many others struggle to. Here is the Nets statement on the matter, noting they had players/staff showing symptoms and went through a private company: pic.twitter.com/vFnIqTK0j4
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) March 18, 2020
It is a complete failure that tests are not more widely available.
That is also not the Nets’ fault.
I don’t begrudge anyone for buying a private test if they can do so. In fact, injecting money into private labs by buying their products will only lead to those labs developing even more tests – which will eventually increase testing access for people not as rich as NBA players.
But the Nets’ defense is also somewhat disingenuous. Many people are isolating without getting tested first. Nobody needs a test to isolate. In the absence of concrete information, it’s a responsible precaution when showing coronavirus symptoms or after coming into contact with someone who has or is suspected to have coronavirus. Social distancing is, to a degree, treating everyone outside your household – including yourself in public – as if they have coronavirus.
The Brooklyn players who tested negative now have peace of mind that most of us don’t – that they can safely interact with older loved ones without putting anyone at risk. The Nets who tested positive now have the responsibility of quarantining for 14 days, protecting everyone they’d interact with. That’s especially important for the asymptomatic players, who wouldn’t have otherwise known they were carriers.
Hopefully, we soon reach a point we all get tested and can take those ensuing steps.