Utah Jazz star players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell were officially cleared from the novel coronavirus this morning. What’s next for the All-Star duo and for this team?
After hearing an optimistic update on the Utah Jazz Tuesday, there is more good news on the horizon for the team. Two weeks have come and gone, and the novel coronavirus has officially passed through Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
Gobert was tested positive on the night of Tuesday the 10th of March, after showing symptoms earlier that day. Mitchell’s positive test result came back the very next morning.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that Gobert was carelessly touching his teammates’ belongings in the locker room, making light of the virus before things really got serious in the United States.
That was likely on the ninth of March, the same day that he playfully touched the microphones in front of all the media members when they were mandated to discontinue interviewing in the locker room itself.
The big question is, what is next for these two? Since the virus has left their immune systems and all other Jazz members were tested negative, can the Utah Jazz return back to normal practice sessions at the ZBBC?
The Jazz say that all players and personnel, including Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, have been cleared by the state's health department -- which also determined that all of them, regardless of prior testing status, no longer pose a risk of infection to others.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) March 27, 2020
Not quite so fast, the NBA says. On the 19th of March the league mandated that all team facilities shut down to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The NBA and Adam Silver especially want to do their part to help the community and nation stay safe, and that includes setting the example for how to handle themselves during this pandemic. All players are highly encouraged to stay home as much as possible, except for “essential activities”.
All hanging out with their pals will have to be over some form of video chat, which Donovan and Royce O’Neale have been doing with some of their gaming fans. In fact, just yesterday Don was playing a game of NBA 2k with Ronnie Singh, the digital marketing director of the game.
https://twitter.com/NBA2K/status/1243281231850033152
While I’d love to see Don and Rudy and all the Jazz teammates get together and have a barbecue or workout session, it’s probably not going to happen for a few months. The only working on their bodies and games will have to be done at their own homes or whatever private gym they have access to.
The fact that these two, along with Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood, have already gotten over the virus is a good sign. Listen to the CDC and local authorities, and we will hunker down and make it through this pandemic and drought of Utah Jazz basketball.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.