NBA Revamps Health And Safety Protocols For 2022-23 Season
In a memo released to all 30 teams on Tuesday, the NBA laid out their health and safety guidelines for the 2022-23 season.
While the league has eased up on restrictions for unvaccinated players and team personnel, they will be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing this upcoming season. As for vaccinated players, they will only be tested when they are showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Unvaccinated players and personnel will be tested every week of the season, but there will be exceptions to this mandate, such as when the unvaccinated person is considered to have been “recently recovered” from coronavirus.
Masks will not be required by the league and should someone, vaccinated or unvaccinated, test positive for COVID-19, they will be immediately separated and put into isolation, which was the same protocol utilized during the 2021-22 season.
These protocols however that have been agreed upon by the NBA and NBPA do not necessarily hold firm in regards to what the Canadian government says is alright for the Toronto Raptors.
Canada still has a strict coronavirus policy nationwide that only allows vaccinated people to enter the country unless they have been given a medical exemption that has been cleared ahead of time. Unvaccinated NBA players are still unable to travel to Toronto in order to play the Raptors.
Looking to get back to “normal,” commissioner Adam Silver and the league are confident that they will not have to reschedule or postpone any games this upcoming year. This past 2021-22 season, the NBA had rescheduled 11 different games due to COVID-19 outbreaks within certain organizations.
In regards to cracking down on positive tests and players showing symptoms, the NBA has made it clear that all players and team personnel will be required to get tested when exhibiting any symptoms and report these symptoms to the league. Players and personnel will also have to report when someone in their household tests positive for COVID-19.
The 2022-23 NBA season is set to begin on October 18, as the Philadelphia 76ers will be on the road to take on the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors will host the Los Angeles Lakers as they raise their banner for winning the 2022 NBA Finals and have their championship ring ceremony.
