The NFL continued to inch closer to fully re-opening their facilities Monday. The league released the guidelines for safety protocols for each facility to implement through their personnel as the world continues to battle the coronavirus.
Among some of the noteworthy protocols were locker room reconfigurations, virtual meetings when possible, disinfecting protective pads and helmets after each game, and the requirement of masks outside of doing athletic activities, as pointed out by NFL insider Tom Pelissero below.
Among the highlights here:
– Locker rooms reconfigured to permit people being 6 feet apart
– Meetings must be conducted virtually when possible
– Helmets, shoulder pads, etc. disinfected after each game
– Masks required except when interfering with "athletic activities" https://t.co/AvNO7Si2Gt
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 8, 2020
The latest progression comes after the league took a significant step last week by opening up their facilities to all coaching staff members. However, there was one team that wasn’t permitted to return because of local laws and that was the San Francisco 49ers.
The memo above consisted of nine pages in total, which explains the access different personnel members have to different parts of each respective facility like the locker room, team cafeteria, practice fields, playing fields, weight rooms, and more. The document also consists of a plan to divide personnel into three different tiers.
In this case, Tier 1 includes the players, the coaching staff, workout trainers, medical doctors, the strength/conditioning coach, and the lead equipment manager. Tier 2 includes non-playing personnel (mainly front office people) like the general manager, ownership personnel, and football operation members. Lastly, Tier 3 includes people within the organization who work in the field of essential facility, stadium, or event services, and do not require contact with Tier 1. This group consists of cleaning personnel, field managers, etc.
Again, each tier has guidelines to follow when amongst each other and limitations in terms of interacting with those from other tiers.
The league’s latest memo marks yet another step that points to football undoubtedly returning. However, the biggest key will be to get the players back to their facilities and that’s reportedly not expected until training camp (late July).