The NFL and the players union have agreed to a set of terms to provide for the safe reopening of team facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.
A four-part memo was sent to all 32 teams which detailed protocols for clubs, per the Associated Press. Screening, testing, infection prevention and COVID-19 treatment are all addressed at length. Guidance on accessing facilities, cleaning, hygiene and team travel are also discussed.
Team facilities were closed in late March at the outset of the pandemic.
“Clubs will be required to certify that they have made the arrangements necessary to meet their obligations under these protocols,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in the memo. “And, in certain instances, to provide the details of those arrangements to be reviewed and confirmed by the jointly retained infectious disease experts at (Duke University).”
Starting and finishing an NFL season in the face COVID-19 never was going to be easy, but we got a glimpse of just how monumental that task will be in a memo NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent to teams Monday. https://t.co/B0UVzjPUpk
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) June 9, 2020
A tiered approach to return must be followed and presented to the league for approval at least seven days before the reporting date for training camps later this summer.
“No set of protocols can eliminate the risk of contracting COVID-19, nor ensure that the disease itself will be mild,” Goodell stated. “And we should expect that these protocols will change as medical and scientific knowledge of the disease continues to grow. But we believe, along with the NFLPA, that these protocols offer a sound basis for bringing players back into the facilities and moving forward with our planning for the 2020 season.”
This story is continuing to develop.
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