CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – No player or staffer of the Cleveland Cavaliers has experienced symptoms related to COVID-19, known as the coronavirus the team said Thursday.
Wednesday night the NBA suspended the season after two members of the Utah Jazz – center Rudy Gobert and guard Donovan Mitchell – tested positive prompting the postponement of their game at Oklahoma City Wednesday night.
Because the Cavs hosted the Jazz on March 2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, there were concerns about the possible spread but the team said Thursday that the “risk of infection is felt to be relatively low at this point, given the date the game was played and the fact that none of our players or staff working in close proximity to the court and locker rooms have experienced any symptoms thus far.”
The team disputed reports that the NBA had imposed a quarantine on them but has also “instituted an immediate work from home advisement for all employees with the exception of those essential to operate the core systems of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse” as a proactive measure.
The suspension of the NBA season coupled with the cancellation of the Mid-American Conference basketball tournaments as a result of the pandemic is expected to have dire financial implications on hourly arena workers.
“We are also developing a compensation plan to continue paying our event staff and hourly workforce that is impacted with the changes to our regular event schedule,”” the team said in their statement.
Information regarding potential refunds for Cavs games as well as event schedule updates are expected in the coming days.
The NHL, Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball and power 5 conferences have all suspended or cancelled games. The NFL cancelled its annual spring meetings at the end of this month in Florida as well as pre-draft visits to team facilities.
