Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 3-13-20

CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
The NBA Just Suspended Its Season Until Further Notice
Fans Not Allowed At March Madness As Coronavirus Spreads, NCAA Says
The NCAA announced Wednesday that March Mad- ness will go on as planned, but fans won't be allowed to attend because of concerns over the coronavirus out- break.
Only essential staff mem- bers and family members can attend, the NCAA said in its statement, which came just hours after the World Health Organization de- clared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, known as Covid-19, a pandemic.
"This decision is in the best interest of public health, including that of coaches, ad- ministrators, fans and, most importantly, our student- athletes," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. "We recognize the opportunity to compete in an NCAA national champi-
Colleges and universities across the US are canceling in-person classes due to coronavirus.
The NBA suspended its season “until further notice” after Jazz center Rudy Gob- ert tested positive for the coronavirus.
The news hit Wednesday night as the Knicks beat the Hawks 136-131 in what might be their final game of this campaign.
The Knicks, having played the Jazz in the last 10 days, will be required to self- quarantine along with the Cavs, Celtics, Pistons and Raptors according to ESPN.
“The NBA is suspending game play following the con- clusion of (Wednesday’s) schedule of games until fur- ther notice,” the statement read. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”
As the announcement came down, the Mavericks and Nuggets were mid-game. That was played to comple- tion, but the Pelicans-Kings game was canceled moments
before it was set to begin. Later in the evening, news broke that the G-League
would also be suspended. Gobert was just in MSG a week ago playing against the Knicks but was listed as out prior to Utah’s game Wednesday’s at OKC because of an illness. Just before tipoff, a medical staffer from the Thunder rushed onto the court to talk to officials — presumably with the news about Gobert. That game was abruptly suspended. Less than an hour later, the
entire NBA season followed.
RUDY GOBERT
onship is an experience of a lifetime for the students and their families."
With the tournament less than a week away, the NCAA had been looking into alter- native plans to keep the dis- ease from spreading at its games. The tournament is scheduled to begin March 17
in Dayton, Ohio.
Emmert said the NCAA
made its choice after consult- ing with public health offi- cials and a NCAA-appointed coronavirus advisory panel. There are now more than 1,100 cases of the novel coro- navirus reported in the United States.
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson Test Positive For Coronavirus
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID- 19), the actor posted Wednesday on his personal Instagram.
Writing from Australia, where Hanks is filming Baz Luhrmann’s as-yet untitled Elvis Presley movie for Warner Bros., the actor said: "Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive."
He added: "Well, now.
TOM HANKS and RITA WILSON
What to do next? The Med- ical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, ob- served, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at- a-time approach, no?"
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