Saints coach Sean Payton announced on Thursday that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19. He added that he has avoided the worst of the virus.
“I’m feeling better and fortunate to not have any of the respiratory symptoms,” Payton said on Twitter. “Four more days at home.”
Payton went public with his diagnosis in an effort to get people to take the situation seriously.
“If people understand the curve and understand the bump, we can easily work together as a country to reduce it,” Payton said, referring to the potential for the outbreak to overcome the health-care system if too many cases happen at once. “Take a minute to understand what the experts are saying. Just that type of small investment by every one of us will have a dramatic impact.”
It’s a great message. While it seems like most are taking the situation seriously, plenty still aren’t. It’s up to all of us to make sure the people in our circle of family and friends understand how serious this is, and what we all need to do to protect those who may suffer or die if they catch it.