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The NFL has had to deal with its fair share of issues with COVID-19 as they were forced to reschedule three of their games in Week 15 due to reported multiple outbreaks. The Las Vegas Raiders vs Cleveland Browns, Washington Football Team vs Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks vs Los Angeles Rams games were postponed following COVID-19 outbreak.
This, along with other problems related to the virus, was a catalyst to modify the current protocols that were previously in place. The reason behind this was players who were found to be asymptomatic were not the spreaders of the virus.
The NFL’s chief medical officer Dr. Allan Sills addressed the outbreak, explaining how the league is taking care of alarming cases within several teams. He said:
"We've really not seen this phenomenon that people have discussed, which is asymptomatic people in the facility spreading virus to others. As we've gone back and looked throughout the entire season, what we've seen consistently is that when people have symptoms, that's when they seem to be contagious to others.”
Dr. Sills continues on to say:
“And that's why we're asking people to come forward and acknowledge symptoms because that's the point at which they're vulnerable and the point at which they expose themselves to others."
The ESPN report takes into account that the NFL's position is a "departure from the stance of public health authorities for much of the pandemic.”
What are the NFL’s new COVID-19 protocols?
Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases across the United States and the rest of the world, the NFL made the choice to make some changes to their protocols. The league recently stated that the reasoning is to tackle the upsurge in the number of COVID-19 cases along with the Omicron variant and its emergence.
The NFL, in a statement, said:
"Effective immediately, all clubs will implement preventative measures that have proven effective: masking regardless of vaccination status, remote or outdoor meetings, eliminating in-person meals, and no outside visitors while on team travel.”
Furthermore, the league is advocating for players to get their booster shot:
"We will continue to strongly encourage the booster shots as the most effective protection. Finally, and based on expert advice, we will adjust the return-to-participation requirements for those who have recovered from COVID-19. All of these changes are grounded in our data and science-backed approach, with safety our number-one goal for the entire NFL community."
The overhaul of the protocols is to deal with the movement amongst coaches, players and other people in team facilities as well. All players and personnel must wear facial coverings when within team spaces, such as in the weight room, no matter the status of their vaccination.
Wearing masks will not be necessary when outside or for the duration of practices and/or walk-throughs managed in the practice bubble.
No more than 15 players may work out in one weight room at any point, whether they are vaccinated or not. Employees and players cannot eat in the same place, no matter the vaccination status.
