NBA and NBPA announce zero positive COVID-19 tests for second straight week

The NBA's Orlando bubble has continued to stay intact. 

With the league set to resume its season Thursday, it announced some good news. According to The Athletic's David Aldridge, the NBA and NBPA announced there's been zero positive COVID-19 tests in the bubble since results were last released July 20. 

This marks the second straight week no positive tests have came out of Orlando. 344 players were tested in the latest round, per Aldridge. 

The Utah Jazz will play the New Orleans Pelicans at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and the game will be followed by a matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. 

The NBA has made sure its protocols are strict. The in-market testing the league did beforehand was smart. 

With teams being tested before traveling, the NBA could determine who should wait to come to the bubble. Players such as Pat Connaughton, Aron Baynes and Ricky Rubio didn't come to Orlando at first because they had tested positive for COVID-19. 

Also, with players and coaches in the bubble regularly being tested, that creates an environment where the league can isolate people who test positive. 

The league's protocols also have held up for players who need to exit the bubble. 

According to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson had to leave to tend to "an urgent family medical matter." When he came back, though, he had to quarantine for four days before returning to team activities. 

Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams left the bubble to attend the viewing of a family friend's late father, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. But he also went to gentleman's club Magic City to get food. The league has made Williams quarantine for 10 days. 

These restrictions all help create the safest environment possible. It's clearly taken a lot of work for the NBA to pull this off, but in the first few weeks, the protocols have been effective.