Marcus Smart in CNN interview: ‘I feel like I can go play a game right now’
Smart tested positive for COVID-19 but is asymptomatic.
Celtics guard Marcus Smart said on CNN Friday night he is still asymptomatic after testing positive for COVID-19.
“I feel great,” Smart told “Cuomo Prime Time” host Chris Cuomo. “I feel fine. I feel like I can go play a game right now.”
Smart, who publicly shared his test results Thursday evening, said he was surprised when he first learned the news. The 26-year-old noted he has self-quarantined since the Celtics returned from Milwaukee a day after the league suspended play indefinitely.
“When they told me I had [coronavirus], I was like, ‘Oh wow,'” Smart said. “It definitely really makes you alert to what’s going on and the situation at hand.”
As the Celtics indicated in their statement issued Thursday, Smart said he is taking necessary measures to keep himself safe as well as others around him. Smart does not anticipate he will develop any symptoms, something he believes is important to recognize.
“Because people that contract the virus can be asymptomatic and not show any symptoms, it’s really hard for anyone to know that they have the virus,” Smart said. “Being around a group of people, being around friends and family, and really not isolating yourself, if you’re a carrier, you [start] spreading the virus around without even knowing it.”
Smart advised people to take the precautions against coronavirus seriously, specifically calling out those in his age demographic. He urged the public to social distance and stay home.
“Be positive,” he said. “I’m OK. I’m going to be OK, but definitely be alert to what’s going on and take the precautions to not only protect yourself, but by protecting yourself, you protect others.”
https://twitter.com/CuomoPrimeTime/status/1241197208441151490
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