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Effective immediately, the NFL and NFLPA agreed to end all COVID-19 safety protocols. While the NFL is not currently in season, it's the first professional league in the country to do away with COVID-19 protocols for its players and staff.
In a memo sent to all 32 teams, the masking requirement, social distancing, and access restrictions based on vaccination status will no longer be in effect. Mandatory testing will be dropped as well, however, PCR tests will still be available to anyone who self-reports COVID-19 symptoms. Anyone who tests positive will be required to isolate for 5 days based on CDC recommendations.
The safety protocols were dropped based on encouraging trends and changes to state and local laws regarding the virus. Should things change, the NFL will decide if protocols should be reimposed in full or in part.
In the final weeks of the 2021 season, the NFL had dropped testing mandates for asymptomatic players, regardless of their vaccination status. Approximately 95% of players and nearly 100% of team personnel were vaccinated, but only 10% of players had received their booster shots as of last month.