(Photo by Tolga Ahmetler on Unsplash)
At 3,887,664 cases, the United States has become the epicentre of Covid-19. According to John Hopkins University, Florida holds almost 400,000 of these cases. From these total cases, about 400 people are hospitalized each day. The state has the highest number of cases per capita in America, and there are many citizens still waiting on their result for weeks, sometimes even months.
If you’re wondering how Covid testing/results are going in Florida, I just now got a call about results from a test I took on June 17th.
— Josh Appel (@JoshAppel) July 21, 2020
However, this is not the case for NBA players located in the ‘happiest place on Earth.’ The plan for the NBA restart involves rigorous testing every other day for every player in Orlando. In addition to this mass testing, players have multiple privatized resources available to them including arcades, boating, restaurants, and more. As long as they remain within the ‘bubble,’ following the proper social distancing routines is fairly simple. For instance, the NBA recorded 0 cases of Covid-19 out of the 346 players they tested on the NBA campus yesterday. But this raises an important question.
If proper measures can be taken to ensure the safety of players, then why is this not happening for the rest of the country? When Florida should have been in lockdown, it was reopening. Many people have viewed this bubble as a privilege that professional athletes have. However, it also shows how effective good leadership and initiative can be in taking care of your population. In addition, players and staff are working together to make sure that everyone is following the rules, whether that be by wearing masks or following social distancing guidelines. If this kind of teamwork is applied to the rest of the country, we might see the US take control of its surge in Covid-19 cases.
The NBA bubble seems to be the eye of the hurricane, and it is important to remember that the storm is not over.
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