NFL players who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will face far fewer restrictions and requirements as they head into the 2021 season.
The NFL and NFLPA agreed to a set of more relaxed guidelines for vaccinated players to follow while keeping things stringent for those not fully vaccinated, multiple reports said Wednesday.
Fully vaccinated players no longer will be tested for COVID-19 daily, will not need to wear a mask while inside their teams’ facilities and will not face travel restrictions. They will not be required to quarantine if exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Other “perks” are included, too, including regaining access to cafeterias and saunas at team facilities. While traveling, vaccinated players will be allowed to see and interact with family members and friends who are also inoculated.
For non-vaccinated players, however, none of these guidelines apply. That group of players is still subject to mask-wearing, daily testing, physical distancing inside the club facility, travel restrictions and a required quarantine period if exposed to a COVID-positive person.
On a conference call Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did not reveal what percentage of NFL players have gotten fully vaccinated yet, but he said that more than 90% of Tier 1 and Tier 2 staffers on 30 NFL teams have been inoculated, reports said. The other two teams have reached at least 85% vaccinated for those groups of staffers.
–Field Level Media