On the Brink of Resumption: NBA Remains Confident of Safety Protocols Against COVID-19

For many, this scenario of the National Basketball Association (NBA) restarting the 2019-2020 season was something that they didn't think it could happen considering the fact that we are living in a time of a pandemic. And yet, this time tomorrow, millions of NBA fans will be getting back some ounce of sense of normalcy as the NBA is set to return with a battle between two teams battling for supremacy in Los Angeles. While some are still questioning whether it's right for the league to resume action in spite of the fact that the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic is hitting the world hard, particularly in Flordia in the United States where the confirmed number of those who tested positive to the virus has gone up to 415,000 as of writing time including more than 9,000 new confirmed cases added.  

Despite the worries from health experts and even from some NBA players, the stage has been set for the return of the NBA to our lives as the league officials expressed their confidence over the safety of the players playing inside the NBA "bubble" inside ESPN's Wide World of Sports at Disney World in Orlando starting tomorrow. That is according to Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum who said that the league's restart attempt will be a success thanks to the safety protocols in place on top of the players' desire to remain healthy during the pandemic.

To start things off, the league and its players' association announced that there are no players who tested positive in the latest round of testing. Stating the latest result of the testing, "Our protocols are working" Tatum said during a conference call. While the league, and basketball in general, has still a long way to go before going back to the normal ways, Tatum reiterated that everybody inside the "bubble" remains conscious of following the rules to keep everyone safe and healthy while adding that the league has devised an extensive list of protocols to prevent the furthermore spread of the said virus. 

Talking about whoever goes on to win this year's NBA championship, Tatum believes that that team will be "very deserving" as they need to overcome so much adversity to get to the top of the mountain.   

And while there are still concerns, the return of the world's grandest basketball league is almost at hand, and in these trying times, seeing an ounce of basketball action can help us move forward. 

Photo is from Dallas Morning News