Note: The following blog post is adapted from a Utah Jazz news release.
Members of the Utah Jazz who tested negative for COVID-19, returned to Utah on Thursday. The traveling party immediately met with Dr. Angela Dunn, the state epidemiologist for the Utah Department of Health, who provided instructions on how to safely and comfortably engage with their families and communities.
Individual players exposed to COVID-19 through close contact with the two players who tested positive — Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell — are participating in a 14-day self-quarantine. Following self-quarantine instructions will help limit community spread of the disease.
All members of the traveling party, which did not include Mitchell or Gobert, have tested negative for COVID-19 and none are currently experiencing symptoms. But to help the players and their families understand the self-quarantine, Dr. Dunn offered a few key points:
- To ensure the continued health of loved ones and the community at-large, those who had close contact with Gobert or Mitchell should limit their contact with the public. This does not include most people who attended the Jazz game on Monday, March 9.
- This doesn’t mean they should be cut off from the community or their families, or that they should be prevented from being in public spaces. Instead, they should maintain a distance of approximately six feet from other people.
- They can continue to be active, as long as they feel well enough to do so.
- Their families and children do not pose any risk to the community as long as they didn’t have close contact with anybody infected with the virus. They can continue their daily lives, including attending school or daycare, shopping at grocery stores, going to the park, or visiting friends in their homes.
- Utah Jazz medical staff will monitor their health on a daily basis. If any players develop symptoms, they will work with health officials to determine the appropriate next steps.
“The families and loved ones of Jazz players who have not had close contact with the two positive cases pose absolutely no risk to the general public,” said Dr. Dunn. “We have provided them with all the essential information and recommendations. The Utah Jazz are an important part of our community, and we appreciate their willingness to follow our advice and their desire to do what is best for Utah citizens.”
As part of the 45-minute discussion, Dr. Dunn reiterated healthy habits and steps that all citizens should take to minimize the risk of spreading the virus.
“Utah residents should be comforted by the fact that dedicated professionals from state and local public health agencies are looking out for their wellbeing. We appreciate that these individuals are working tirelessly to provide Utahns with the same level of care we experienced earlier today upon our arrival back in Salt Lake City,” said Jim Olson, president of the Utah Jazz.