Three Wizards players test positive for the coronavirus, Cavaliers games on Jan. 17 and 18 in doubt

The Washington Wizards have three players who have tested positive for the coronavirus according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Because of the number of cases, it is unlikely that they can field a roster for their next two games at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, Jan. 17 and Monday, Jan. 18.

At this time, the Wizards have not issued a statement stating that there are coronavirus cases on the team. And it remains unclear which players tested positive for COVID-19. That’s because of HIPAA, a health security law that gives people more control over their medical histories. In other words, if the players do not announce that they have the coronavirus on their own, the team can’t.

Now that the Wizards have multiple players with the coronavirus, there will be at least three players who have to be isolated for at least 10 days, assuming they don’t have severe symptoms. Realistically, a player will be out for at least two weeks before playing in a better case scenario. If a player has a severe case, then he would be out for longer.

I’m not sure if an NBA player can return if he tests positive for more than two weeks, even if he is otherwise okay. We have seen that Washington Mystics forward Emma Meesseman was out for a month for UMMC Ekaterinburg, her team overseas and the Belgium women’s national basketball team when she tested positive for the coronavirus last November. She tested positive for about one month before finally testing negative.

For now, all we can do as fans is wait. Get well soon, Washington Wizards.