NBA COVID policy will require weekly testing for the unvaxxed, Canada entry rules remain

Unvaccinated NBA players and team personnel must submit to weekly COVID-19 testing this season, the league told its clubs in a memo Tuesday, according to the AP. For the Nets the policy would apply to at least Kyrie Irving. There’s no indication that any of the new Nets have declined to get the COVID vaccine.

Meanwhile, Canadian immigration policy continues to require anyone wanting to enter the country be fully vaccinated. The Nets play the Raptors in Toronto on November 23 and December 16.

There will be certain exceptions to that NBA mandate, the league said, according to AP, such as if an unvaccinated player is “recently recovered” from COVID-19. The policy did not define “recently recovered.” Irving tested positive in December 2021. There are no such exceptions in the Canadian policy

For the vaccinated players and staff, testing will not be required except when “directed by their team physician or a league physician or government authority,” the league said. Facemasks also will not be required, though they will be recommended for use indoors in markets where coronavirus levels are classified by government officials as high, AP wrote, quoting the league policy.

The policy for the coming season was agreed to by the players union and has been developed over the last several weeks. It is consistent with what Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters last month in Las Vegas.

“It looks like we’ll be on our normal track in terms of when the season starts, in terms of our protocols around the game, particularly around the health and safety of our players,” Silver said at the league’s Board of Governors meeting in mid-July. “I have learned over the last 2 1/2 years not to make any predictions when it comes to COVID, but only to say we’ll be prepared for anything that comes our way.”

• Unvaccinated NBA players, staff must test weekly for COVID - Tim Reynolds - AP