Stronger league-wide protocols set
All teams to adopt intensive measures amid virus surge
The NFL is placing all teams in intensive protocol starting Saturday to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 as the number of cases rises around the country.
Use of masks will be mandatory at all times at team facilities, including during practice and in weight rooms. Meetings must be held either virtually or in the largest indoor space with approval by the league. Meals have to be made available for grab-and-go to avoid players and staff congregating in cafeterias. Timespent in the locker roomalsohas to be limited.
Clubs operating under the intensive protocols have reduced close contacts by more than 50% since the fifth week of the regular season, according to amemo sent from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to teamsWednesday.
“These sustained reductions and the resulting healthandsafety benefitsmake it appropriate to implement the intensive protocols on a mandatory, leaguewide basis,” Goodell said in the memo.
So far, 28 teams have entered intensive protocol at some point and 16 teams have done itmore than once.
“The upcoming holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving next week, will introduce new risks of exposure thatwe need to address now,” Goodell wrote. “Becausewe have a highly sophisticated programof daily testing, we knowwhen the virus enters our facilities, which underscores the importance of contact tracing and other steps to minimize close contacts within a facility.
“Recent experience has highlighted the importance of minimizing high-risk close contacts; onmultiple occasions, we have seen individuals identified on that basis test positive within a short time. We have also seen many instances in which effective action by clubs to minimize these close contacts prevented the virus fromspreading within the club, and avoided players or coaches being ruled out of practice or games.”
The NFL said Tuesday there were 17 new confirmed positives among players and 35 among other personnel during testing from Nov. 8-14. That brought the league’s total to 95 players and 175 other personnel sinceAug. 1, not countingnew cases thisweek.
“The biggest motivator I find when we talk to the clubs about this is simply that if they’re not in compliance with the protocols fromamask-wearing perspective or for some reason somebody forgot their device or something like that, they’remuch more likely to be identified as a high-risk close contact than they would otherwise,” said Jeff Miller, the league’s executive VP of communications, public affairs and policy.
“So when that individual coach or player is removed from the team environment for five days because their mask was down, that’s a lesson learned throughout the facility. I don’t think we see a lot of repeat problems as far as that goes. Not everybody’s perfect all the time. But the biggest enforcement piece is taking somebody out of the team environment and potentially costing them the opportunity to play or to go through a week of practice. I think that part of it is a little bit undersold. It feels like a lot whenwe talk to the clubs.”
Teams previously in intensive protocols have been the Falcons, Cardinals, Ravens, Bears, Broncos, Lions, Packers, Texans, Colts, Chiefs, Dolphins, Saints, Steelers and 49ers.