Toronto Raptors leaving for Fort Myers amid COIVD-19 outbreak in Florida
The Toronto Raptors announced they will leave for Fort Myers, Florida, on Monday, as they prepare for the resumption of the NBA season.
"Select players and staff will depart from Toronto today. The Raptors will remain in the Fort Myers area until entering the NBA Campus at Disney, near Orlando, in early July for the remainder of the season," according to the team's press release.
"In keeping with NBA and team safety protocols, there will be no group workouts during this phase of return to play, and strict protocols have been designed to ensure this initial level of access will take place in a safe, controlled, and healthy way.
"Group workouts will only begin once teams have reported to the NBA Campus at Disney.
"There will be no in-person media availabilities during this time, and access to both the team hotel and voluntary individual workout facilities are strictly limited to essential team personnel."
Florida has been one of the hardest-hit states by the COVID-19 virus lately. It has nearly 100 thousand confirmed cases, after seeing a 3,494 case jump on Sunday, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia says Florida has "all the makings of the next large epicenter." Both Fort Myers and Orlando have "fairly widespread transmission," according to the hospital.
Lee County, where Fort Myers is located, has 3,627 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins.
Johns Hopkins University
- Aaron Rose covers the Toronto Raptors and Canadian basketball for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter @aaronbenrose or on Facebook @AllRaptors.
