NBA PLAYERS should stay at their residences when they are at home and in their hotels when on the road for at least the next two weeks, the league said on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) in a list of new health protocols designed to limit COVID-19’s impact on the season.
The league, which postponed one game on Sunday (Monday in Manila) and three games this week due to the virus, is trying to avoid a league-wide suspension of play like the one that derailed it in March before it returned in a “bubble” environment in Orlando in July.
The NBA said the new protocols, which take effect immediately, were issued “in response to the surge of COVID-19 cases across the country and an uptick among NBA teams requiring potential player quarantines.”
Players and team staff can leave their homes to attend team-related activities, exercise outside, perform essential activities or as a result of extraordinary circumstances, the protocols said.
While at hotels, players and team staff are prohibited from leaving except for team activities or emergencies. They are also barred from interacting with non-team guests.
Players and coaches must always wear face masks on the bench and in the locker room, according to the protocols, which were endorsed by the players’ union.
