The NBA has communicated to the teams that a return to normalcy, at least in a relative sense, is possible as long as the players have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
In a memo sent to teams Thursday and reviewed by The Times, the league provided roadmaps for what next season would look like under updated health and safety protocols with most of the document dedicated to players who are not vaccinated.
Those who are not fully inoculated will need to be tested daily and will be forced to quarantine if they had close contact with someone who has tested positive for the disease. Vaccinated players would be subjected to limited testing and not mandatory quarantine.
Non-immunized players would have to sit separately from others during team meetings, trips, and meals. They would also be subject to mask wear requirements and would be given separate seats in the changing rooms, keeping them as far away from the rest of the team as possible.
For players who have been fully vaccinated, most aspects of professional life will return to normal along with the rules that were in place before the pandemic.
The protocols are not official. Talks with the players’ union are ongoing.
The NBA had already notified teams that all coaches and staff members, as well as staff working within 5 meters of players, must be fully vaccinated.
To read this note in Spanish, click here.
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