The NBA outlined its plan for players and teams during the restart on Tuesday in a note and guide obtained from the Associated Press.
Since safety will be paramount due to the coronavirus pandemic, players will frequently have to undergo tests, but not via nasal samples, and will have to respect the rules of social distancing and wearing a mask.
NBA Players’ League and Association have been working on the stimulus package for several weeks, following the advice of medical experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“My confidence, it did not exist at the beginning of the pandemic because I was scared by this virus,” The director of the players’ union, Michele Roberts, told to the AP.
“Now that I have lived and endured it for hours and hours, that I have listened to the experts and compared the alternatives, I could not think of anything more than hermetically packing the players to place them in an environment safer.” Roberts added.
The majority of the teams will arrive in Florida between July 7 and 9. A person aware of the situation said that the Toronto Raptors, the only NBA team based outside the United States, will be given permission to organize training before their arrival, while following the instructions that the other teams will have to follow in their city.
It is quite possible that the Raptors will train somewhere in Florida before the start of the camps, said the person on condition of anonymity since no announcement has been made.
The issue surrounding the Raptors is at the level of the mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving in Canada. Some Raptors players are currently in the United States.
No one on the NBA campus at Disney, who has been labeled a bubble, will have access to another person’s room. The NBA has also informed players and teams that it will do business with various companies to provide the medical tools necessary in the event of injury to prevent a player from having to leave Disney for testing.
The league has also indicated how it will handle the use of training and meeting rooms, training grounds, in blocks of three hours per team, with one hour between each session for cleaning, and even how dirty players’ laundry will be cleaned.
Commissioner Adam Silver said that if a player was uncomfortable playing Disney, for health reasons or under current social justice issues, he could inform his team of his intention without being punished. However, he will not receive his salary for missed matches.
