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profootballtalk.nbcsports.com] NFL, NFLPA announce suspension of all COVID protocols
Posted by Josh Alper on March 3, 2022, 12:21 PM EST
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COVID-19 protocols have played a big role in the last two NFL seasons, but they are not going to be an issue for teams this offseason.
In a memo to all 32 teams on Thursday, the NFL and NFLPA announced that they are suspending all COVID-19 protocols immediately. The memo cites the declining rates of COVID-19 rates as the reason for the decision while also noting that teams must still comply with any applicable state or local laws.
The suspension means an end to any mandatory testing and, absent local regulations, masks are not required at team facilities. Tests will now be done “when clinically indicated or at the direction of a club physician” and teams must keep some testing equipment at their facilities, but the larger testing trailers can be removed.
Players will no longer be wearing devices to monitor their contacts at team facilities and limits on weight rooms and other gathering spaces have been removed.
Changes to testing protocols for the postseason signaled a move in this direction and Thursday’s memo moves to put an official end to the league’s COVID era almost two years after it began.
