MANILA, Philippines — Marcus Smart of the NBA's Boston Celtics has been cleared of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by the Massachusetts Department of Health.
This was confirmed by the Celtics guard himself in a post on his Twitter account.
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Smart confirmed he tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago in a video he tweeted.
READ: Boston Celtics's Smart, two Lakers test positive for coronavirus
"I can't stress enough, practice your social distancing, and really keep yourself away from a large group of people," he said in his video message then.
"Wash your hands, and help protect yourself, and help protect others by protecting yourself."
As of this writing, fellow NBA players Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Christian Wood — who were also confirmed to be carriers of the virus — have likewise been cleared from the virus.
This leaves Kevin Durant and three other Brooklyn Nets, along with unidentified members of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets organizations still infected.
Corona Free as of two days ago. Cleared by Mass Dept of Health.
Thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers and I’m doing the same for everyone that’s been effected by this. Stay safe and stay together- apart!
Much love!— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) March 30, 2020
Regarded by the Boston faithful as the team's vocal leader, Smart was averaging 13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game before the league suspended its season indefinitely, per Basketball Reference.
Though not seen to be a spitfire scorer, the two guard is known for his quick hands and stifling defense.
'Take COVID-19 seriously'
"COVID-19 must be taken [with] the highest of seriousness. I know it’s a #1 priority for our nations health experts, and we must get more testing ASAP," Smart also tweeted after finding out he tested positive.
On Sunday evening, the Health Department recorded the Philippines' biggest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases as the nationwide total swelled to a high of 1,418 patients after 343 more were confirmed that day.
Worldwide, 722,196 have been infected with the new virus according to data from Worldometers as of 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Manila time. 33,976 have died while 151,766 have recovered, bringing the number of active cases globally to 536,454.
The United Nations has warned the international community that the "whole of humanity" is put at risk by the novel coronavirus, saying millions could die if collective action is not taken. — with report from Agence France-Presse
If you believe you have come into possible contact with infected patients, you may be directed to the proper office of the Department of Health for advice through the following lines: (632) 8651-7800 local 1149/1150 or (632) 165-364.