- Goodell’s memo outlines protocols for reopening team facilities
- NFL set to release full regular-season schedule on Thursday
The NFL has set protocols for reopening team facilities and has told the 32 teams to have them in place by 15 May.
In a memo sent by league commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained Wednesday night by the Associated Press, several phases of the protocols were laid out. The first phase to deal with the coronavirus pandemic would involve a limited number of non-player personnel, initially 50% of the non-player employees (up to a total of 75) on any single day, being approved to be at the facility. But state or local regulations could require a lower number.
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Local and state government officials must consent to reopening
The team must implement all operational guidelines set by the league to minimize the risk of virus transmission among employees
Each club must acquire adequate amounts of needed supplies as prescribed by the league
An Infection Response Team with a written plan for newly diagnosed coronavirus cases
An Infection Control Officer to oversee all aspects of the implementation of the listed guidelines
Each employee who returns to work at the club facility must receive Covid-19 safety and hygiene training prior to using the facility, and agree to report health information to the ICO
The response team must consist of a local physician with expertise in common infectious disease principles; the team physician can fill that role. Also on the response team will be the infection control officer, the team’s head athletic trainer; the team physician, if he or she is not serving as the local physician; the human resources director; the team’s chief of security; its mental health clinician or someone with equivalent clinical expertise; and a member of the club’s operations staff such as the facility manager
