What Is the Health and Safety Protocol in the NBA?

The NBA has a strict health and safety protocol in place to protect players and staff from the coronavirus. Find out what the NBA is doing to keep everyone safe.

Introduction

The NBA has a health and safety protocol in place to protect players and staff from the spread of COVID-19. The protocol includes daily testing, health screenings, contact tracing, quarantine procedures, and infection control measures. Players and staff who test positive for COVID-19 are isolated from the rest of the team and must recover under the care of team medical staff.

Health and Safety Protocol in the NBA

In order to protect players and staff from the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA has implemented a comprehensive health and safety protocol. This protocol includes regular testing, social distancing, and the use of face coverings. The NBA has also set up a health and safety hotline and a COVID-19 compliance officer to help ensure that everyone is following the protocol.

Pre-Season Training Camp

Players report to their team’s facility for voluntary individual workouts, physicals and COVID-19 testing. Players must wear a face covering at all times except when on the court for individual workouts or when showering.

Group activities (e.g., team practices, scrimmages) are not allowed during this period.

Players may use the hydrotherapy pools and weight room as long as social distancing protocols are followed.

Team doctors and other personnel will be onsite to monitor players’ health and safety.

In-Season

During the season, players will be tested for COVID-19 once per week. If a player tests positive, he will be isolated from the team and will not be allowed to return until he tests negative twice in a row.

Post-Season

The NBA’s health and safety protocols will continue to be in place during the postseason, which is set to begin on May 22. All teams that qualify for the playoffs will be sequestered in a “bubble” environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, where they will stay until the end of the season.

Players, coaches, and other essential personnel will be housed at a single resort, and they will only be able to leave for medical appointments or to participate in playoff games. Everyone in the bubble will be tested for COVID-19 regularly, and strict adherence to social distancing and other guidelines will be enforced.

The NBA playoffs are typically a single-elimination tournament, but because of the pandemic, this year’s postseason will feature a modified format. The first two rounds will consist of best-of-seven series, while the conference finals and NBA Finals will be best-of-five series.

Conclusion

After an intense, four-month long process, the NBA and its players have come to an agreement on a health and safety protocol for the 2020-21 season. The protocol includes regular COVID-19 testing, social distancing measures, and a quarantine period for players who test positive. While the exact details of the protocol are still being finalized, it is clear that the NBA is taking the health and safety of its players and staff seriously.