If there’s one thing about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the NBA, it’s that uncertainty is the new norm.
And while that uncertainty makes planning for the resumption of league activities a dicey affair, news of a same-day test for the virus responsible for the chaos in the NBA and around the world could make a return to action for the league a much more realistic possibility.
Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann reports Californian molecular diagnostic company Cepheid was granted an emergency exception by the USDA to use a new test which takes only 45 minutes to deliver a result on coronavirus infection.
While it’s much too early to say when such tests might be available on the scale that would be useful to sports leagues to do pre-game testing, once supply were able to meet demand, it’s conceivable testing could be done ahead of a game on all players, coaches, referees and support staff.
After the FDA authorized a new test on Saturday that could deliver results within 45 minutes, sports leagues could be closer to returning https://t.co/Msf2oJnPly
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 22, 2020
Since the tests will not need to be sent to a lab for analysis, such an arrangement would make games without fans possible, at least in theory.
However, with the league already finding themselves the target of criticism for securing coronavirus testing for their players, navigating the politics surrounding the availability of the new test will be an important public relations issue to consider.
As with so much in the world today, much about the future of this diagnostic test and the resumption of league activities is shrouded in uncertainty. But that both have the potential to bring about a better world than yesterday for the NBA and humanity writ large is an unequivocally good thing for us.
For now, all we can do is wait.
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