Coronavirus Cases Spike on PGA Tour

Several golfers on the PGA tour tested positive for the coronavirus and a handful of NBA players and members of the USWNT opted out of returning to action.

Sports and Business Update: June 24th

Spike in COVID-19 Cases Among Athletes 

Earlier in the week, we discussed the spikes in coronavirus cases from players in states like Texas with the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, University of Texas, Same with South Carolina with players from Clemson University and pro golfer Nick Watney who also tested positive last week.

That list of athletes that tested positive for coronavirus continues to grow as tennis pro Novak Djokovic reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

In the PGA, Webb Simpson, who won last week's RBC Heritage in South Carolina decided to withdraw out of caution, as well as Brooks Koepka’s caddie (who tested positive) which forced Koepka to withdraw from this week’s Traveler’s Championship in Connecticut.

Connecticut along with New Jersey and New York are implementing their own 14 day quarantine for any visitor coming to the Tristate area that traveled from a coronavirus spike state.

With so many golfers arriving in Connecticut that just left last week’s tournament in South Carolina, it begs the question of how many more golfers we’ll see with positive test results in the coming days.

The PGA is currently testing all personnel competing or participating in their events every two days. The spikes all come at a time when Major League Baseball is asking its players to return to team facilities on July 1st and to start the season July 24th. The National Basketball League is scheduled to resume their season in Orlando, Florida on July 31st. 

Brooks Koepka is one of five players who have withdrawn from the Travelers Championship following a positive COVID-19 diagnosis from his caddie https://t.co/IAJAvlWzKV

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 24, 2020

According to the Miami Herald, Florida had a new single-day record of 5,508 new confirmed cases. So far three NBA players have opted out of playing when the league resumes their season. 

Lakers guard Avery Bradley, Trail Blazers forward Trevor Ariza and Wizards forward/center Davis Bertans have all said they will not rejoin their teams when it’s time to restart the season. 

Women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe along with two other members of the United States Women’s National Team also opted out of playing in an upcoming tournament due to health concerns relating to the coronavirus.

Daily Coronavirus Update

There are over 9.2 million cases of the virus worldwide, with over 478,000 deaths. The U.S. has over 2.3 million cases with over 121,000 deaths. California also reported more than 5,000 new cases on Tuesday and the Washington Post is reporting a new high of 7,000 cases Wednesday. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered residents to wear face masks in public. 

Positive tests of the virus rose 35% in the state last week. Virginia has proposed its own set of safety rules in the era of the coronavirus that companies must implement in order to protect workers from infection. Florida changed how it records intensive care unit occupancy by coronavirus patients. The move might lower the figures ahead of the state’s next phase of reopening, which is set to happen sometime in July.

NY, NJ, and CT implementing a 14 day quarantine for anyone traveling from a "virus hot spot" to the tri-state area

— Bill Enright (@BillEnright) June 24, 2020

The governors of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut said that they are implementing a mandatory quarantine for visitors to their states from hotspots, which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Texas, and Utah. 

Remember President Trump’s comments about slowing testing on Saturday? Well, despite Dr. Fauci saying yesterday that it is not what officials want, the White House plans to end funding for 13 coronavirus testing sites in five states starting on June 30, per multiple news outlets. Texas has seven of the testing sites. 

The E.U. is considering barring visitors from several countries, including the U.S. due to the high amount of cases. No formal decision has been made yet.

TheStreet's Katherine Ross contributed to this report.