Florida Is a Popular Site for Pro Leagues. It’s Also a Virus Hot Spot. - The New York Times

Florida reported 2,610 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to a New York Times database, only a slight drop from the state’s one-day record of 2,783. That was set on Tuesday.

Florida was one of the first states to reopen in the midst of the global pandemic. Now, it is one of nearly two dozen states where virus cases are increasing.

In the midst of all this, the N.B.A. will attempt to restart its season with a single-site competition at Walt Disney World.

The season’s success, or failure, will affect the league and its players for years to come. It also could influence how several other prominent American sports navigate their own comebacks.

The N.B.A. won’t be alone in Florida, of course. Major League Soccer will resume its own season at Walt Disney World on July 8, even before the basketball players arrive. Unlike the N.B.A., which plans to complete its regular season and then hold an abbreviated playoffs all on one campus, M.L.S. hopes to return to its own cities in the fall to finish its regular season.

Other leagues are attempting a similar feat: The National Women’s Soccer League will hold its entire season as a monthlong tournament in Utah beginning June 27, and the W.N.B.A. announced this week that its comeback would begin around the same time as the N.B.A., but at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

The stakes for every league are high: Aside from obvious health concerns for players, coaches and team employees, the leagues all are aware that if they shut down again because of a substantial outbreak, the immediate financial picture might be catastrophic.

So it makes sense to ask: Is Florida the best place to stage major sports competitions involving hundreds of participants as the number of cases continues to rise?

The contours of all three announced plans involving the state appear to be the same: All league staff, players and other attendees must remain in their respective, so-called bubbles and submit to frequent testing. There will be no fans in the stands.

“It’s not as if the tournament will be open to the public,” M.L.S. Commissioner Don Garber said in announcing his league’s return. “There won’t be any guests in the environment where we are going to be. So it’s something that we are confident we’ll be able to manage.”

Broadly, the M.L.S. and N.B.A. have similar health protocols. M.L.S. has posted its guidelines publicly, and they stipulate that all who are traveling to Orlando for the tournament must first test negative twice, 24 hours apart. On Thursday, Atlanta United of M.L.S. announced that an unidentified player on the team had tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The N.B.A.’s protocol, which is not public but was obtained by The New York Times, says that players must register two negative test results once they arrive.

The W.N.B.A.’s protocols will be similar with the N.B.A.’s, according to a person familiar with the deliberations who was not authorized to speak publicly about them. A statement from the league on Monday said the guidelines were still being developed.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the N.B.A.’s protocols “quite creative” in an interview with Stadium. The league’s plan, which spans 113 pages, is by far the most expansive. It says players should discard decks of cards after using them, avoid doubles Ping-Pong and eat outside as often as possible. While some Disney staff members will not reside in the bubble, they also will be wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.

Dr. Cindy Prins, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida, called the N.B.A.’s protocols “extremely thorough.”

“They ran the gamut,” Prins said. Beyond basic questions, like what types of tests would be used and how frequently individuals would be tested, she said, the league has “really thorough protocols for travel, thorough protocols for how things will be maintained on the Disney campus — from where the players will be, what the contact will be with people and the protocols for cleaning the facilities.”

The leagues aren’t the first to attempt a return, or the first to confront health concerns when they did.

The Coronavirus Outbreak

• Frequently Asked Questions and Advice

  Updated June 16, 2020

  • I’ve heard about a treatment called dexamethasone. Does it work?

    The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.

  • What is pandemic paid leave?

    The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.

  • Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen?

    So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.

  • What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?

    Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

  • How does blood type influence coronavirus?

    A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.

  • How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?

    The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

  • Will protests set off a second viral wave of coronavirus?

    Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

  • My state is reopening. Is it safe to go out?

    States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

  • What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

    Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

  • How can I protect myself while flying?

    If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

  • How do I take my temperature?

    Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.

  • Should I wear a mask?

    The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

  • What should I do if I feel sick?

    If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

  • How do I get tested?

    If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.

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In mid-May, Germany’s top soccer league, the Bundesliga, returned to play in stadiums without fans. Leagues in Spain, Italy and England have followed suit. But when Bundesliga teams returned to training last month, the league’s testing of each player yielded more than a dozen positive tests for the coronavirus — yet officials went through with the restart anyway.

England’s Premier League conducted similar rounds of testing as it prepared for its return on Wednesday; in the most recent tests, officials said, the league had one positive test out of 1,541 players and coaches. Germany’s top basketball competition — also called the Bundesliga — returned with a tournament earlier this month. And in the United States, Top Rank, the boxing production company, has begun resuming matches.

But no effort in the United States has been as large as what M.L.S. and professional basketball are trying to accomplish in a single location — and in a state experiencing a surge of virus cases.

An N.B.A. spokesman, Mike Bass, said in a statement that the league was “closely monitoring the data in Florida and Orange County and will continue to work collaboratively with the N.B.P.A, public health officials and medical experts regarding our plans.”

Prins said that what concerned doctors like her was not protocols or plans but what she referred to as the “human element.” Players from both the N.B.A. and M.L.S. are expected not to leave the Walt Disney World area, since doing so would increase exposure of those inside these single-site areas in a state that is already a hot spot. In effect, the leagues will have to trust — and hope — that hundreds of players and staff members will follow the rules.

“The thing is: You have a lot of people still involved,” Prins said. “I know they’re still pared down for what they would normally be.”

Still, she added, “You are relying on every single person to work properly within that protocol.”

In the N.B.A., some players already are grousing about being stuck inside a bubble, possibly for several months. The full return has not been approved yet by the players’ union. Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN on Monday that players who did not want to come would not be considered in breach of contract.

“I can only say that it may not be for everyone,” Silver said. “It will entail enormous sacrifice on behalf of those players and for everyone involved — the coaches, the referees.

“Listen,” he added, “it’s not an ideal situation.”

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