NBA Expands COVID-19 Safety Protocols

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The NBA and the NBA Players Association have agreed to an aggressive new set of safety protocols in light of the growing spread of COVID-19 exposure within the league.

The league announced the changes after a series of games were canceled this week due to multiple teams having fewer than the required eight available players in uniform at game time.

The Players Association announced the agreed-upon changes in a release on Tuesday.

Thr @NBA and the @TheNBPA have agreed to new safety protocols to limit the spread of COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/9Zso5Tyn5g

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 12, 2021

The updated NBA safety protocols include changes to extracurricular activities, team meetings, travel, game-day operations, the use of masks, and testing.

Activities Outside the Team Environment

For at least the next two weeks, players and team staff are required to remain at their residence (when the team is in its home market) at all times except to attend team-related activities at the team facility or arena, exercise outside, or perform essential activities, or as a result of extraordinary circumstances.

Away-from-work interactions are limited to those with household members, family and any personal staff working regularly in the home.  When on the road, players and team staff are prohibited from leaving their hotel (other than for team activities or emergencies) or interacting with non-team guests at the hotel.

Meetings

For at least the next two weeks, any pre-game meeting in the locker room is limited to no more than 10 minutes in duration and all attendees must wear a facemask.

All other meetings involving players and team staff must continue to occur on the court, in a league-approved space, or at the arena in a room large enough to provide for at least 6 feet of distance between individuals.  Meeting attendees must continue to wear facemasks at all times.

On the Road

For team flights, teams must create a seating plan on planes so that players whose assigned seats are closest to each other on the bench for games are also closest to each other on the team plane.

All treatment sessions at a hotel, such as massages and physical therapy, must occur in a ballroom or other large open space, with at least 12 feet between individual stations.  Facemasks and face shields are required for all individuals during such sessions.

Despite recent game cancellations, coaches and players from the @utahjazz expressed confidence in the NBA's safety protocols. #TakeNote https://t.co/GRb0ZIPE3I

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 11, 2021

Game Day

Players are prohibited from arriving at the arena more than three hours before tip-off.  During the pre- and post-game periods, players must limit interactions to elbow or fist bumps, avoid extended socializing and maintain 6 feet of distance as much as possible.

Facemasks

All players must wear facemasks on the bench at all times.  Upon exiting the game, and prior to returning to the bench, players can sit in “cool down chairs,” arranged at least 12 feet from the bench with each chair 6 feet apart, where facemasks are not required.

Once a player has cooled down, he must return to his assigned seat on the bench and wear a facemask until he enters the game again.

Players must always wear facemasks in the locker room, during strength and conditioning activities and when traveling with anyone other than a household member.  Coaches and other team staff must wear facemasks at all times during games.

Testing

Any individual who regularly visits the interior of the home of a player or team staff member for a professional purpose must undergo COVID-19 testing twice per week.

For any team with a positive player case or high-risk staff member case, the NBA may require players and team staff to undergo five consecutive days of twice-per-day, lab-based testing, in addition to daily point-of-care testing.