The NBA has announced that all matches will be suspended from Thursday until further notice, after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus.
The NBA has suspended the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020
The announcement was made immediately prior to the Jazz and Oklahoma Thunder fixture on Wednesday, but the concerned player was not at the game – as per the BBC.
Doing our best to contain the virus and slow the spread of infection is the main priority, and sporting events obviously aren’t as important as people’s health.
A player of a sports team being infected means there is a risk that it could have already spread to team-mates, and the quick call to suspend the NBA season is a wise one.
With Juventus defender Daniele Rugani confirmed to have the virus, it’s surely a matter of time before the Premier League unfortunately have their own ‘patient zero’.
Daniele Rugani, a Juventus soccer player, has tested positive for the coronavirus. He and his teammates (which include Cristiano Ronaldo) are now facing a 14-day quarantine, which could lead to transformative changes in the European soccer schedule. https://t.co/NI9oVCnBdi
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 12, 2020
The NBA and Serie A have both been suspended – it’s not clear how long for, but it paves the way for the Premier League to follow the same route.
It has already been decided that all of English football will now be played behind closed doors, as per the Times, and it’s only going to get more severe from this point forward.
[EDIT: La Liga in Spain has now also been suspended.]
Nota informativa.
LaLiga acuerda la suspensión de la competición.
📝 https://t.co/RLVBEU6IUB pic.twitter.com/zd6IPA1Ukv
— LaLiga (@LaLiga) March 12, 2020
It feels like the right time to say the coronavirus outbreak is obviously a serious issue, and sporting events are of little importance, when compared to people’s health, so please make sure you’ve got all the information you need.