Sunday 8 March 2020 08:20, UK
The Golden State Warriors have confirmed the illness that saw star guard Stephen Curry miss Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers is not coronavirus.
The two-time MVP returned on Thursday from a 58-game absence due to a broken left hand suffered in October, but missed the Sixers matchup with what the his team are describing as "seasonal flu".
Curry, who scored 23 points in 27 minutes on his comeback against the Toronto Raptors, has been placed on a treatment programme by the Warriors, with a time-frame for his return unclear.
"We have identified his probable source contact who is not part of basketball operations," the Warriors said.
"He has no specific risk factors for COVID-19. He has the seasonal flu."
The NBA, along with the other major North American sports leagues, is considering plans to restrict access to locker rooms as a precaution to protect players from exposure to the coronavirus, as concern over the situation continued to escalate on Saturday.
Further, the NBA has told its teams that it has until Tuesday to develop "a plan to limit the number of team and arena staff ... who interact with players" as part of their response strategies.
NBA teams were also told to have an arrangement with an infectious disease specialist and to find a facility that could conduct testing for COVID-19.
"In light of the growing community spread of COVID-19 in the United States, and the emergence of community spread in Canada, we continue to closely monitor this situation and are having regular conversations with infectious disease and public health experts, including the CDC," the NBA told teams in the memo sent Saturday night, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
The NBA told teams on Friday to prepare for the possibility of playing games in empty arenas, as some sports leagues in Europe have already done, an idea Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said he wanted no part of.
The NBA, in its Saturday night memo, also said teams quickly need a process to distribute hand sanitizer to all players and team staff and to ensure that supply does not run out.
The NBA also urged teams to cut team travel parties "to essential individuals only," have team physicians join an upcoming road trip to study ways of limiting germ-exposure on the road and work with vendors - like bus companies, hotels and meal providers - to understand their cleaning practices and ensure they have minimal contact with players.
"There's a lot of due diligence going on," Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said.
Closing locker rooms to essential personnel only would not eliminate media interviews with players before and after games but would simply move them to a different location, possibly a news conference setting. The changes would, in theory, would allow teams to know if anyone in those areas has been tested for illness.
"In consultation with infectious disease and public health experts, we're discussing with other sports leagues options to protect the health of everyone in our buildings, including those typically in our locker rooms," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. "As always, we're committed to providing appropriate media access."
