MLB players who are vaccinated against COVID-19 will have more relaxed protocols that will allow them to “mostly restore their normal lives. In a memo sent to teams Monday, MLB “strongly encouraged” players and team staff to get vaccinated and outlined the new guidelines for individuals who are vaccinated or are part of a team that has 85 percent of individuals in Tier 1 fully vaccinated.
Individuals who meet the new requirements can gather in hotel rooms and exercise without masks. They will also be allowed to go out to restaurants and meet outside with anyone while traveling, and they won’t have to inform a compliance officer when they leave the team hotel. Carpools and card games on airplanes can resume, while teams with 85 percent of Tier 1 individuals vaccinated will be allowed to go maskless in dugouts and bullpens.
Those players will only have to test for COVID-19 twice per week and will not be required to quarantine if they are determined to be a close contact of someone with the virus, provided they are asymptomatic.
Editorial credit: Piotr Swat / Shutterstock.com