The NBA is relaxing its COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, vaccinated players and coaches can now clear quarantine after six days of testing data shows they are no longer at risk to be infectious.
Previously, the quarantine period was a minimum of 10 days or if a player can produce two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. The latter will continue to be a part of the protocols.
The NBA, like much of the country, has been hit hard by COVID infections over the last month. A total of 166 players have entered the health and safety protocols over the last two weeks, per Wojnarowski.
Players are considered to test positive on “day zero,” which means they would be eligible to return to play on the seventh day. Data has shown that individuals who have received the booster continue to clear the virus out of their system at a far more rapid rate.
Several teams have had their rosters decimated due to the large surge in cases, which NBA commissioner Adam Silver attributed to the far more contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The reduction in quarantine time will help cut down on the amount of games players will miss and would ideally lower the possibility of postponements.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram