As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, the NBA is working to protect its teams and players. According to a report by Shams Charania from The Athletic, the league has sent a note to the teams stating that they should start preparing for the possibility of playing fanless matches. At this point, nothing seems imminent in this regard, but if necessary, teams should be ready to implement strategies like this.
Earlier this week, a separate memo was sent to teams with suggested measures to avoid the virus, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN. Among other steps, the league suggested that players punch instead of five and avoid taking fan articles to sign them.
So far, cases of viruses in North America have been fairly minimal compared to other countries. More worrying is the impact of the disease on foreign countries that the NBA discovers. The league is concerned that screening visits and preliminary training sessions may be limited or even canceled entirely due to the virus. The NBA is currently preparing for upcoming events such as the World Hoop Summit and the NBA Combination Project which will go ahead as planned.
The NBA has been in communication with the CDC and private experts according to the report. Their expectation at the moment is that a player infected with the virus will be sidelined for about two weeks. Additionally, players take their own steps to stay healthy. C.J. McCollum, for example, has announced that he will not be signing autographs for the foreseeable future.
So far, the NBA has not canceled, postponed, or otherwise modified any games. EuroLeague has already played some games without fans or media present in an effort to curb the spread of the virus, but so far this is not a step the NBA has taken publicly.
For the moment, the league can only monitor the situation as it develops in North America and be prepared for the possibility of wider spread if this is it. Hopefully, however, the league can proceed with minimal disruption.
Be sure to follow CBS News for the latest news and updates regarding the coronavirus.