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There was major speculation around how the NBA was planning to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in the upcoming season, especially after the successful completion of the 2019-20 season recently. Addressing speculation and rumors surrounding the situation, the NBA has released a list of COVID-19 guidelines for the 2020-21 season.
League releases Covid-19 guidelines for NBA 2020/21 season
The league has introduced new rules as a part of the COVID-19 guidelines, and have retained some old ones from the Orlando Bubble restart, which was won by the LA Lakers who defeated the Miami Heat.
The most important update is the NBA's guarantee that the occurrence of independent cases (i.e, cases not spread among players or team staff) or a small number of COVID-19 cases will not result in the 2020-21 season being cancelled or suspended. Basketball fans will be delighted to hear this particular update.
An important COVID-19 guideline that will need to be taken care of during the 2020-21 NBA season is the size of traveling parties. The league has decided that up to 45 members will be allowed per team as a part of the traveling group, which can include 17 players. The aforementioned number is a slightly higher figure than the one that was allowed in the Orlando Bubble. However, the decision is understandable considering how different the circumstances will be in the upcoming season, in terms of travel and participating teams.
An interesting COVID-19 guideline being retained by the NBA is the anonymous hotline, which caused a stir amongst the basketball fraternity during the Orlando Bubble. The anonymous hotline can be used to report a person who is not following the COVID-19 guidelines and will help the NBA maintain the rules and regulations in the 2020-21 season, by imposing retrospective punishment.
The NBA has done some exemplary work in the last few months, especially in the Orlando Bubble, as the 2019-20 season restart was completed without any players testing positive in the bubble. The NFL and MLB have struggled in this aspect, and the NBA will be looking to continue the good work in the 2020-21 season.
Guess the Lakers players!
