[ad_1]
The Knicks closed their training facility on Tuesday after three employees tested positive for COVID-19.
The news came just hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio and others warned that New York City was on the precipice of a second wave of coronavirus. It just served to push this point even further.
While the NBA pulled off the reboot – from ranking games to the Lakers winning the NBA Finals – without COVID-19 incident, it was with the bubble advantage beloved by Disney. But now, in the offseason, as the numbers climb locally, the Knicks have seen three employees – who would not be considered players – test positive in routine screenings.
All three are asymptomatic and currently in quarantine, according to the Knicks. But in the meantime, the MSG training center has been temporarily closed to allow for a thorough cleaning of the facility.
It was a symptom of the larger problem in New York City and a resurgence of the pandemic at the local level.
“This is our last chance at the moment to stop a second wave,” de Blasio warned at Tuesday’s press conference. “If we can’t stop it, there will clearly be many consequences that will remind us too much of where we were before.”
New York City saw 795 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Sunday, far exceeding the threshold of 550 cases that serves as a warning in the fight against the coronavirus.
The positivity rate – which measures the number of tests that have come back positive – has also increased at an alarming rate. It hit an average of 2.31% last week, the 3% threshold prompting public schools to close.
Former Knick coach Jeff Hornacek will join the Rockets as an assistant, according to ESPN.
[ad_2]
Source link