New NYC health commissioner says vaccine mandate 'indefinite'
Nets' Kyrie Irving reacts courtside in the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Nets and the Knicks at Barclays Center on Sunday, March 13, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Days after Mayor Eric Adams said the city could look to "peel back" the vaccine mandate that bars Kyrie Irving from playing in home games, new health commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said the mandates are "indefinite."
"You know, people who have tried to predict what's going to happen in the future for this pandemic have repeatedly found egg on their face," Vasan said, adding the private sector mandate stating that in-person city-based employees be vaccinated was "indefinite at this point."
As it stands, Irving is only eligible to play in three more games this regular season, along with missing any playoff games in Brooklyn and Toronto (going into Friday’s game, the Nets were eighth in the standings and the Raptors seventh).
"It's not ideal, but I think again an exercise in controlling the controllables," Steve Nash of the shift in messaging. "I think it's important for me and for the group to not get too sidetracked with things that we don't have control over. So just trying to come in every day and be purposeful with our approach with the players, with their growth, what we're asking them to do and accomplish and at the same time, try to win games. That's plenty to focus on for us and just not trying to be brought down or overburdened by things that we can’t control."
Asked if he wished there was more clarity, Nash said he would "stay away" from commenting.
Durant fined
Kevin Durant was fined $25,000 for "directing obscene language toward a fan" in Wednesday’s game against the Mavericks, the NBA announced.
A video of Durant cursing at a fan was posted to social media, though Durant, who’s no stranger to language-related fines, took it in stride. He retweeted the video with a photo of a person handing over a wad of cash. "Damn smh," or "shake my head," he tweeted.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
