The league issued teams health and safety protocols for the 2020-21 NBA season
Beforehand, the unknown was an untold story. What was once an untold story, is now being told 100-plus pages long. That story encompasses a pivotal question for the new 2020-21 NBA season.
How effective are the health and safety procedures for COVID-19?
According to ESPN reports, the NBA laid out a 134-page health-and-safety protocol manual for the 2020-21 season, detailing how the league will handle day-to-day activities surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, the NBA conjoined those protocols with previous measures taken inside the Disney Bubble. League restrictions for travel arrangements, safety procedures for families, and potential disciplinary actions for team violations are all facets of the new protocol.
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Like most protocols, the league strives to keep player personnel safe and free from COVID-19 contraction. To make this possible, as underlined in the protocol, the NBA created a “rules system,” as reported by ESPN, if a team member or player tests positive for the COVID-19. That system has two phases: time-based resolution, and test-based resolution.
If a player tested positive in a time-based resolution, that player would have to be free of all symptoms for at least 10 days since the initial positive testing date, with 24 hours of improvement from symptoms. As outlined in the protocol, a player must show two negative tests in the test-based resolution, two of which taken 24-hours apart.
Whether a player has symptoms or not, if a player has a positive case, they will not be allowed to participate in team workouts, activities, or training for at least 10 days from the positive test date or symptomatic date. Delving in league finances could be an issue if a player tests positive. Because of the NBA’s salary cap provision, teams couldn’t compensate for players’ housing if someone tested positive. The provision’s ramifications changed when the league waived the restriction, allowing teams to purchase isolation housing for players with positive tests.
The NBA still has yet to determine its next move for travel policies. But with all the protocols in place, the 134-page manual is the story we once said was untold.
With an unknown story finally being told, will the 2020-21 season stay afloat without another suspended season?
That’s still an untold story.