Toronto Raptors fortunate to not get hit harder by the Coronavirus
With NBA team reporting positive cases for COVID-19, the Toronto Raptors should be fortunate they weren’t hit harder by the coronavirus.
It is hard to find moments of positivity considering the impact COVID-19 is having around the world but if you are a Toronto Raptors fan, there should be a big sigh of relief.
Several NBA clubs have started to announce positive cases from members of their team and it makes you wonder how many more will be revealed within the coming days. Of course, it all started with the Utah Jazz announcing Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and the immediate concern for the Raptors was apparent when the team was told to go into self-quarantine.
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Toronto was eventually cleared of any concern regarding the coronavirus and while the self-isolation isn’t an ideal situation, it could have certainly been a lot worse. When you consider how the spread of COVID-19 has been tough to contain because not everyone is showing symptoms.
Consider it a small victory when you think about what the rest of the world is going through and how unfortunate the situation some people have found themselves. If you read Eric Smith’s recount of the situation for Sportsnet, it will provide some much-needed perspective.
Imagine being in close proximity to someone who tested positive for the coronavirus and having no idea and went on with your life like nothing was wrong. Well, this section should give you an idea.
"I didn’t go to bed until nearly 2:00 a.m. that night, but I knew that I was waking up to go get tested for COVID-19. It was later explained to me that given the facts thatThe Raptors had been potentially exposed to the virus.They’d been in an arena with nearly 20,000 fans.They’d been outside of Canada, and they had been on an airplane, the team and travel group were considered potential “super-spreaders.” Thus, testing was necessary."
While Smith’s tests came back negative, he made the difficult choice to stay away from his family in self-isolation in order to avoid any risk. Despite all of that, the Raptors broadcaster isn’t asking for sympathy because he knows his situation is not as bad in comparison to what other people are going through.
This is why Chris Boucher had to issue an apology for leaving his house and breaking his self-quarantine. The worst part was getting caught and was a story for the local Toronto news channels.
"“A few days ago, I broke our team mandated self-quarantine,” Boucher wrote on his Instagram story as reported by Sportsnet. “I want to apologize to the city of Toronto, our fans and the Raptors organization.“While I have tested negative for COVID-19, it was never my intention to endanger our community — I recognize my mistake and have remained self-quarantined since. Let’s stay safe Toronto.”"
Now, in fairness to Boucher, he did test negative for the virus when he was out in public but considering there is a group of people who might think it is alright to not follow the guidelines given by government health officials.
For now, we can only hope that the worst is behind us with more and more people deciding to take preventative measures, otherwise, it could be a long while before we see any sports whether it’s the NBA, NHL or MLB.
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How are you handling the coronavirus pandemic? Have you been able to find other things to occupy your time? Let us know in the comments below.