NFL memo says all NFL teams to operate under intensive COVID-19 protocols
Starting this Saturday, all NFL teams must operate under the league's intensive COVID-19 protocols for the remainder of this season, according to a league memo sent to teams Wednesday afternoon and obtained by ESPN.
Requirements under the intensive protocols, which 28 of the league's 32 teams have already experienced at some point this season, include virtual team meetings and the wearing of masks by all players and staff at all times while at the facility, including during practice.
"It has been said many times that our 2020 season cannot be 'normal' because nothing about this year is normal," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in the memo. "Flexibility and adaptability have been critical to our success to date and we must continue with that approach."
The league said it made the decision to impose the intensive protocols leaguewide because of the heightened recent spread of COVID-19 around the country as well as the data it has been collecting all year regarding close contacts.
All players and staff this year are required to wear contact tracing devices while in the facility and while traveling, so that the league and union can quickly identify close contacts of an individual who tests positive. The league says that, since Week 5, teams that have been in the intensive protocols have seen a greater than 50% reduction in close contacts, which both reduces the chances for spread and makes contact tracing easier and more efficient.
To this point, teams have been instructed to enter the intensive protocols when someone in their building has tested positive or when they have recently played against a team that had someone test positive. The league's memo says that 28 teams have already been in the intensive protocols at least once this year and that 16 have been in them at least twice.
Details of the intensive protocols include:
"As we continue through the season, it will likely be necessary to take further steps to address broader conditions," the memo says. "In conjunction with our medical advisors and the NFLPA, we will continue to incorporate our experience and implement enhancements to the protocols and communicate with each of you on a regular basis."