There will be many hurdles for the NBA and other leagues to resume play once the coronavirus pandemic is under control. One challenge will be the leagues’ capacity to test players, coaches and referees in as close to real-time as possible to ensure they’re not infected. Current tests for COVID-19 take at least a day, and often several days, for results to become known. For instance, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart waited five days between the day of his test and the day he learned he was infected.
In sports, a multi-day delay presents the risk that a player, coach or referee who learns that he or she tested negative may have become infected after the test occurred—and may have unknowingly infected others, too.