The NBA adjusts COVID-19 protocols for fully-vaccinated players and staff

The NBA and Player Association have agreed to changes in their health and safety protocol for players and staff who have received the final dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, per an official league press release.

Fully-vaccinated individuals will no longer be required to quarantine following exposure to COVID-19 or be restricted from dining outdoors or at restaurants. And they will also be exempt from daily Point-of-Care testing on game and off-days.

They will also have the freedom to participate in in-person marketing or sponsorship events, visit friends and family at home or on the road without testing or registering with their team, and have fully-vaccinated trainers or therapists work in their residence.

Organizations with 85% of their players and staff fully-vaccinated will receive additional incentives, including no masks at the practice facility, mid-flight meal service, in-person team activities, indoor and outdoor dining, and increased flexibility outside of team hotels.

Teams that meet the earlier discussed parameters can also begin administering polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests before 5 PM.

The league has publicly backed masks, social distancing, and vaccines, even teaming up with San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to release a public service announcement about the coronavirus vaccine.

While NBA Commissioner Adam Silver won’t require player vaccination, changes to league protocol certainly provide plenty of incentives for those that decide to get vaccinated.