Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
US Open Player Sidelined; Big Ten Football Might Play Minus Four Teams
ABC News: US Open Players Pulled From Tournament After Contact With COVID-Positive Player
The top-seeded women's doubles team has been pulled from competition at the U.S. Open after one of the players came in contact with a third player who tested positive for COVID-19, tournament organizers announced Saturday. The U.S.Tennis Association said in a statement that Kristina Mladenovic of France was identified as having "prolonged close contact" and must be quarantined. (Hoyos, 9/5)
AP: French Open Allowing Spectators Amid Virus Resurgence
Spectators will be allowed at the French Open this month despite the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country, organizers said on Monday. They unveiled the health protocols for the clay-court grand slam, which will take place at Roland Garros in western Paris from Sept. 27 after being postponed from its May start due to the pandemic. (9/7)
Detroit Free Press: Donald Trump: Big Ten Football Might Happen Without Michigan, MSU
President Donald Trump believes the Big Ten is getting closer to a return to football. But Michigan and Michigan State might not be part of it, and he blamed a familiar face: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, along with governors from Illinois and Maryland. He tweeted Sunday morning: "Big Ten Football is looking really good, but may lose Michigan, Illinois, and Maryland because of those Governors’ ridiculous lack of interest or political support. They will play without them?" (Marlowe Alter, 9/6)
USA Today: How NBA Players Grapple With Mental Health After Two Months In Bubble
The moment could have prompted Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George to explain a recent shooting slump with conventional reasons. George could have contended he took quality shots that just did not drop into the basket. He could have credited the Dallas Mavericks’ swarming defenses. He could have admitted feeling additional pressure of competing in a playoff game. Instead, George offered the real reason that showed his courage and vulnerability with discussing a sensitive topic."I underestimated mental health," George said. "I had anxiety. A little bit of depression. Us being locked in here, I just wasn’t there. I just checked out." (Medina, 9/7)
The Washington Post: Covid Disrupts Care For Athletes' Injuries
Last summer while out on a bike ride, 35-year-old Andrew Bernstein of Boulder, Colo., was hit by a van that knocked him off the road and kept on going. A passing driver spotted Bernstein lying, unmoving, in a ditch and called 911. Bernstein’s injuries were life threatening. After multiple surgeries, 10 weeks recovering in the hospital and more than three weeks in inpatient rehab, Bernstein has spent the better part of every week since then working with a number of practitioners to help him progress to where he is today — in a wheelchair and walking with the assistance of a full-length leg brace and crutches. (Loudin, 9/7)
In recreational news —
AP: Virus Still Throwing Theme Park Attendance For A Loop
Theme park operators who spent months installing hand sanitizing stations, figuring out how to disinfect roller coasters seats and checking the temperatures of guests at their gates so they’d come back in the midst of the pandemic are finding many reluctant to return. Some parks have reduced operating days, slashed ticket prices, and closed early for the year because of lower-than-hoped attendance — expectations weren’t high to begin with — along with the uncertainty of what’s to come with the coronavirus. A few parks have been unable to open their gates at all because of state and local health restrictions. (Seewer, 9/7)
