COVID Outbreak Linked To Illegal Basketball Event At Placer County's Courtside Basketball Center
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP/CBS13) — An outbreak of 77 coronavirus cases in Santa Clara County has been traced to an illegal youth basketball tournament held last month at Courtside Basketball Center in Placer County, public health officials said Friday.
Those who tested positive attended the event on Nov. 7 and 8, Santa Clara Public Health announced. They included 39 middle- and high school players, three coaches and 35 "additional contacts," officials said in a news release.
An additional 17 cases outside Santa Clara County also have been traced to the tournament, the release said.
The event violated local and state orders for youth sports during the pandemic, officials said. Santa Clara County also said Courtside "failed to timely and properly report some of the initial positive cases among staff and players."
"Public Health orders, directives, and guidance around contact sports and sporting events are in place for a reason. The risk of transmission in these settings can easily result in community spread that threatens the most vulnerable among us," said Dr. Monika Roy, Santa Clara County's assistant public health officer.
The California Department of Public Health has initiated an enforcement investigation involving the tournament operator, according to the news release.
Courtside owner Jacob Biagi told CBS13 he's unsure of how the spread happened in his facility, who passed it to who and said that there are not any future tournaments scheduled at the moment. The center's website said the facility is closed until further notice "out of precaution with the statewide lockdown and for the safety of all."
Courtside came under fire in late November when they announced they would continue on with a 40-team tournament after 30 cases were linked to the center.
More from CBS Sacramento:
