Foreign arrivals ban puts restarts on hold

Former NBA All Star Marbury, who finished his 14-day isolation last Wednesday following his arrival in the Chinese capital on March 11, rejoined his team at its east Beijing training facility on Friday after retesting negative.

His appearance at the gym lifted the spirits of his players, who he had been endeavoring to oversee online during his quarantine, and has boosted their preparations for the pending restart.

"I am extremely happy that the coach is back. It means that I can continue improving under his watch," said Royal Fighters guard Zhang Fan.

Having developed a deep bond with China since joining the CBA as a player in 2010, Marbury kept his 5 million Weibo followers well informed of his life in quarantine with regular posts that often expressed support for China's virus-control measures.

A photo of a certification letter issued by the neighborhood office that deals with Marbury's Beijing apartment went viral on Wednesday. It read: "We hereby certify that Comrade Marbury has finished the quarantine."

In one Chinese post, the 43-year-old New York native said: "We need to stay calm and united in this fight against the pandemic. As long as we stand together and act in unification, it's only a matter of time for us to defeat the virus."