Dr. Fauci says he supports the NBA’s restart plan
[CNN]
“I’ve looked at that plan and it’s really quite creative what they are really trying to do. I think they might very well be quite successful with it. It is to create a situation where it is as safe as possibly can be for the players by creating this bubble,” he said during the interview.
He added: “You know essentially testing everybody, make sure that you start with a baseline of everybody being negative and trying to make sure that no influx into that cohort of individuals.” Some background: The NBA’s Board of Governors voted earlier this month to restart the suspended 2019-2020 season with 22 of the league’s 30 teams taking part. The Board of Player Representatives of the National Basketball Players Association approved further negotiations with the NBA on a 22-team return to play scenario to restart the 2019-20 NBA season.
The new schedule will see training camps open the first half of July with a tentative resumption of the regular season reportedly on July 30.
The league said the season restart is contingent on a deal made to utilize the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, as an isolated campus to hold all games, practices and residency.
“It’s something that I think is a sound plan,” Dr. Fauci said. “I was very pleased to see that the intent was not reckless at all, they really wanted to make sure that the safety of the players and the people associated with the players was paramount.”
He said this could possibly be used as a model for other sports depending on how the system works.