(Audacy) The NFL and the NFL Players' Association on Saturday agreed to implement new COVID-19 testing policies after this week's slate of games following an explosion in cases in the preceding days.
The revisions essentially amount to dropping regular testing for vaccinated, asymptomatic players, and it's aimed at ensuring most vaccinated players will be available for the season's final weeks and into the playoffs.
While unvaccinated players will remain subject to daily testing, their vaccinated peers are subject only to random "spot" testing. Vaccinated players who show symptoms will also be required to test, ESPN reported.
Under the previously existing guidelines, vaccinated players were still tested once per week -- that is, up until this week, when all 32 teams were placed in "intensive protocols" due to the astronomical surge in cases in both the NFL and nationally.
The apparent uptick in breakthrough cases -- presumably because of the Omicron variant's reported ability to evade vaccines -- has been a source of frustration, with positive players previously required to return two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart before they could rejoin their teams.
Now, most vaccinated and seemingly healthy players won't be tested regularly.
The change in protocols comes as three Week 15 games were pushed back a couple days after more than 150 players across the NFL tested positive over the five-day span from Monday to Friday.
The Browns, Rams and Washington Football Team were hit especially hard. Accordingly, the Raiders-Browns game originally set for Saturday was moved to Monday, while the Seahawks-Rams and WFT-Eagles games were moved from Sunday to Tuesday.
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