The guidelines issued by the New York City Department of Health “strongly recommends against testing persons with mild illness who can be safely managed at home, unless a diagnosis may impact patient management.”

But in the case of professional sports franchises, they often have existing relationships with medical centers as well as their own team doctors.

On March 18, a week after the season had been suspended, a spokesman for the Knicks said: “We have been following the recommendations of local and national health officials and continue to monitor our players closely. As of now, with our players remaining asymptomatic, none of them have been tested for Covid-19. We will remain in close contact with health officials and the N.B.A. and N.H.L.”

A Knicks spokesman declined to comment on Dolan’s test. In the statement, the team said Dolan continued to oversee business operations.