When the NBA resumes the 2019-20 season in a "bubble" format in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, frequent COVID-19 testing and temperature checks will be implemented to try and catch any outbreaks.
However, according to the NBA's health and safety protocols for the bubble, there will also be extra precautionary measures, such as throwing away any playing cards players use after they're done.
"To eliminate communal or shared objects, individuals must discard the pack of cards at the end of the game. (Sufficient packs of cards will be available on the campus for players and team staff interested in playing.)," the league's guidelines state.
The Disney campus will have numerous activities available to players — lounges with TVs and video games, movie screenings, DJ sets, pools, ping-pong, cards, and more. However, the league's rules mandate that players wear masks at all times (with some exceptions like eating or exercise) and try to physically distance.
The NBA also suggests that all social activities take place outdoors, and players are not allowed to go into each other's rooms. They also only supposed to interact with other teams staying in their hotels.
Other activities are also subject to sanitary measures. Players and staff shouldn't eat while participating in any social activities. If they're golfing or lounging by a pool, they're not allowed to share any items, and all equipment should be disinfected before and after, from golf carts to pool chairs.
If players play ping-pong, they can't play doubles, as it would break physical-distancing protocols.
When it comes to eating, the league is also being cautious. While some restaurants on the Disney campus will be open, they will either be for takeout or pick up in one area of a restaurant to avoid table service.
Likewise, each team will have a designated Disney culinary team. However, players can bring private chefs to Orlando, so long as they are not in the Disney bubble. The guidelines for having a privately cooked meal brought on to the campus are rigorous. From the league's guidelines:
"Players and team staff will be permitted to receive off-campus food delivery if food is prepared by and delivered to a player or team staff member (following disinfecting of the food container(s)) by a player's personal chef provided such chef (a) signs a certification that he or she is engaged only in essential activities outside the chef's residence in Orlando, (b) is preparing meals in accordance with the FDA's best practices for food handling and preparation and food delivery services, and (c) provides the NBA and NBPA with information on its cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing practices and staff hygiene standards in Orlando and is approved by the NBA and NBPA."
And most important of all, of course, is that players are not supposed to leave the campus, except for pre-approved reasons, like off-site medical care, the birth of a child, etc.
If any protocols are broken, players and teams are supposed to report them, and there is even an anonymous hotline.
- Read more:
- We're getting a better look at the NBA's 'bubble' environment in Disney, and it includes frequent COVID-19 testing, movie nights, DJ sets, and physical-distancing alarms
- Here's what happens if a player tests positive for COVID-19 inside the NBA bubble
- Hazmat suits, fans on webcams, and a man to disinfect the ball: This is what the English Premier League looks like in the coronavirus era
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