The NFL appears to be expediting the process of reopening team facilities amid the ongoing pandemic. The league sent a memo out to teams earlier this week outlining what steps must be taken in order for said facilities to reopen.
Now, according to this information from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the league has told teams to have their plans ready by May 15. That’s a week from Friday.
The procedures for opening team facilities back up again include the need to check employees before they enter the facilities. This would initially include temperature checks. No more than 50 individuals would be allowed in at one time.
At least initially, players would not be allowed at the facilities during the first phase of reopening. That would come at a later date. This is not a big deal in that the NFL is in the midst of its offseason and is holding initial programs remotely. The hope is that things trend in the right direction as it relates to facilities being open in a widespread fashion in time for training camp this summer.
The NFL released its 2020 schedule on Thursday. While the plan is to play a full 16-game slate starting as scheduled in mid-September, said schedule does include some contingencies.
For now, opening team facilities is the first step.