NFL, NFLPA agree to suspend COVID-19 protocols

The NFL and the players' association agreed to suspend "all aspects of the joint COVID-19 protocols, effective immediately," the league announced Thursday in a memo obtained by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The decision was "based on current encouraging trends regarding the prevalence and severity of COVID," as well as "evolving guidance from the CDC."

Mandatory testing will now cease unless "clinically indicated or at the direction of a club physician. Masks, monitoring devices, and social distancing will no longer be enforced at team facilities, though clubs must still comply with state or local laws.

The NFL worked under the COVID-19 protocols for the last two campaigns. No games were canceled over that time, though outbreaks forced many games to be rescheduled in 2020. Restrictions were loosened during last season's playoffs.

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