Nine more players test positive for COVID-19

[July 03, 2020]    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nine more NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19, less than a week before teams are set to travel to Florida to resume the 2020 season.

The NBA logo is displayed as people pass by the NBA Store in New York City, U.S., October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

A total of 25 players and 10 team staff members have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since testing began on June 23, the National Basketball Association said in a statement on Thursday.

"Any player, coach or team staff member who tested positive will remain in self-isolation until they satisfy public health protocols for discontinuing isolation and have been cleared by a physician," the league said.

NBA teams are expected to travel on July 7 to Orlando, Florida, where the league plans to resume play on July 30, after the coronavirus outbreak put an abrupt hold on the season in March.

Players, coaches and other members of staff will practice, compete and live at Walt Disney World, with daily COVID-19 testing and no fans allowed inside the so-called "bubble."

The Denver Nuggets shut down their training facility over the weekend after two members of the team's travel party tested positive for COVID-19 and the New Orleans Pelicans said this week that three of their players also tested positive.

(This story corrects to fix typo in first paragraph)

(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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