Dr. Myron Rolle: 'A Bubble Would Have Been A Better Idea' For NFL
BOSTON (CBS) - The New England Patriots landed in Kansas City Monday following a weekend of Covid-19 tests to make sure no one else besides Cam Newton has the virus.
"The frequent testing helps, but it has to be only one of a number of measures that we know of that are important to preventing the spread of the disease," said Shira Doron Infectious Disease Physician at Tufts Medical Center.
Doron said the public health mandate for a person to quarantine if they were in close contact with someone, like Newton who tested positive for Covid-19, is designed to prevent the virus from spreading.
NFL protocols as reported by ESPN show that anyone who comes in close contact to someone who is Covid positive must be tested as soon as possible and isolate until they get the results.
If the test is negative and they remain asymptomatic, they are allowed to return to the club facilities following a second negative test. They will then be closely monitored for symptoms and undergo more testing.
"I think a bubble would have been a better idea," said Dr. Myron Rolle, a former player for the Tennessee Titans and now a neurosurgeon at Mass General. "It would have been certainly difficult to try and pull off, but that's not say it couldn't happen."
Dr. Rolle said players he knows are very conscious and concerned about the virus.
"If you're taking this virus that's infected you back to these people who you love and who you're doing this game for, it's a burden that a lot of these players don't want to face," said Dr. Rolle.