As the coronavirus vaccine progresses toward completion, the NBA has started to consider its protocols regarding the vaccine for players and team personnel, according to ESPN reports.
The league sent a 158-page memo of health and safety guidelines to teams around the league, which ESPN obtained a copy of, Adrian Wojnarowski said.
Tim Bontempts reported that the NBA said in it that the league and NBPA are going to discuss if players, coaches and staff, who are defined as “Tier 1 and 2 individuals,” will be required to receive the vaccine once it is complete and approved.
He tweeted that if the vaccine is not required, the league and players association could implement different protocol:
The protocol also says that, if the vaccine winds up not being required, the two sides could discuss whether additional health & safety restrictions will be required for those who don't (such different testing/mask wearing for those who have had the vaccine & those who haven't). https://t.co/fDBM334alB
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 5, 2020
Bontempts also reported that the league is considering punishments for violations that leads to coronavirus or schedule adjustments. Wojnarowski reported that such a requirement would be a “huge concern” for players, particularly after the NFL’s finings this season.
Teams are extremely aware of this element and it's a huge concern, especially with the punishments handed down in the NFL this season. https://t.co/rSTrpg8xHL
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 5, 2020
The guidelines tell teams to “strongly recommend” the flu vaccine, Zach Lowe reported.
The NBA is embarking upon new territory entering the 2020-21 season. In last season’s playoffs, once all players tested negative for the coronavirus, such concerns were not necessary because the area was bubbled off from outside contact.
This season, there won’t be such set-up, and teams will travel for games.
After watching MLB and the NHL navigate their respective seasons, the NBA is looking at measures it can take. Major League Baseball initially struggled to contain outbreaks, which led to cancellations of games early in the season. The NHL has avoided canceling any games outright with the help of its one-game-a-week scheduling and the ability to adjust bye weeks, but every team except the Seattle Seahawks has had at least one true positive coronavirus test, according to the Peninsula Daily News.
The preseason begins Dec. 11 and the regular season starts Dec. 22.