The NBA announced to teams that recently enacted laws in both New York City and San Francisco regarding vaccine requirements – including for gamers – will be enforced for members of the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors, unless there are an approved medical or religious exemption from participating in them, according to a memo ESPN received.
Both cities recently passed laws mandating some COVID-19 vaccination in different settings.
In New York City, beginning September 13, people over the age of 12 will not be allowed to enter “certain covered spaces” within the city – including the Barclays Center, the home of the Nets, Madison Square Garden, the home of the Knicks, and all other indoor Gyms or fitness facilities – with no evidence of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, unless there is an approved medical or religious exception for them who don’t.
In San Francisco, beginning October 13, everyone over the age of 12 will be required to show they are fully vaccinated prior to attending major events – including NBA games at the Chase Center – as well as indoor gyms or other fitness facilities, unless one is available Approved medical or religious dispensation if they don’t.
These laws only apply to players on the Knicks, Nets, and Warriors, and not to visiting team members who come to play those teams. This is because the laws in both New York City and San Francisco provide exemptions for out-of-town teams who come to those cities to play games. However, these exceptions do not exist for the home teams in these cities.
In the memo, the NBA said that by Friday, all 30 NBA teams must provide the information to each incompletely vaccinated player in their roster and that they must tell the league office exactly which players are not yet fully vaccinated. It also states that if a team signs a player who is not fully vaccinated, they must provide that information to the player and inform the league about it.
The league also stated that similar vaccination requirements could be considered in other NBA markets and that some of them – unlike New York and San Francisco – might also consider visiting team vaccination requirements. It also said there might be other restrictions on unvaccinated players, pointing out that in Toronto, it is expected that unvaccinated players can play in games – as long as they have a negative COVID-19 test – but will not interact with people outside of their team’s travel group and cannot leave their hotel, except for training or games.
The Athletic first reported the news of the existence of the memo.
ESPN previously reported that the league last week informed teams in a memo that any staff under team control who work within 4.5 meters of players or referees during games will be fully against COVID for the coming season -19 must be vaccinated.
The policy specifically included coaches, front office members and coaches, but did not require all players to be vaccinated.
The league-wide vaccination of players is the subject of negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association.
The NBA has set a deadline for full vaccination of team staff on October 1, leaving open the possibility that a booster may be required at a later date. The mandate applies to all employees who work in the vicinity of the court, including broadcasters, scoreboard operators, photographers and security guards. All back-of-house operations are also required, including locker room staff, medical staff, equipment managers, and food and beverage retailers and suppliers.
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