Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the NFL is slowly getting back to normal. The NFL released a memo to teams that require them to reconfigure the locker rooms before players can return. Although coaches are allowed back to their facilities, players are still prohibited.
Though they have finalized no date, the memo spotlights social distancing in locker rooms. The league also issued physical distancing in rooms, which is not a simple task. A few notes from the memo:
- Clubs must establish physical distancing protocols to allow people and/or staff to maintain six feet of distance from one another inside the facility.
- Clubs are required to promote physical distancing by rearranging or removing furniture and/or distancing markers.
- Strength and conditioning workouts must be limited to small groups (no more than 15) of scheduled players to allow for physical distancing.
The multi-page memo also requires players to wear masks when not doing athletic activates. The NFL did not go into detail about how often players would be tested for COVID-19. The memo actually raised more questions than it answered.
NFL locker rooms are different sizes, some are smaller than others. Teams are concerned about how they can rearrange their locker rooms to the NFL’s new standards.
NFL teams will have time to iron out their respective problems regarding physical distancing before the season starts. But the NFL hasn’t ruled out a June training camp start, and now teams are scrambling to abide by the NFL’s memo before camp starts.