A element of Covid-19 associated signage previous to the sport between the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Photos/AFP
The NFL stated Saturday it is going to introduce a brand new COVID-19 testing protocol within the wake of a surge in circumstances involving principally vaccinated gamers that pressured the league to postpone three video games.
In a memo despatched to groups following talks between the NFL and NFL Gamers Affiliation, the league stated it will now undertake a “extra focused testing” plan following this week’s wave of infections.
Beneath the brand new regime, solely unvaccinated gamers and people exhibiting indicators of Covid-19 an infection will bear obligatory testing.
Beneath present guidelines, groups should take a look at vaccinated gamers at the least as soon as per week, a requirement that can be eradicated underneath the brand new tips. As a substitute, the league will topic asymptomatic gamers to random spot testing for the rest of the season.
“The intensive protocols applied final week and the rescheduling of three video games had been designed to cease the transmission of the virus and play this week’s video games safely,” the NFL and NFLPA stated in a joint assertion on Saturday.
“After this weekend’s video games, now we have agreed to place into place a brand new set of protocols, which can embrace a extra focused testing plan, extra flexibility for gamers to attend conferences nearly and in addition a high-risk participant opt-out for the rest of the season.”
Greater than 100 NFL gamers have examined constructive for Covid-19, a dramatic uptick in circumstances of the virus which comes because the Omicron variant ripples world wide.
In line with US media studies, nevertheless, many of the circumstances concerned vaccinated gamers exhibiting both gentle or no signs of the illness – a reality prompting the testing protocol rethink.
The NFL on Friday postponed Saturday’s sport between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns to Monday.
Sunday’s assembly between the Washington Soccer Group and Philadelphia Eagles, and the Seattle Seahawks v Los Angeles Rams sport have been moved to Tuesday.
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