Majority of Hawks still get to avoid game day COVID-19 testing

As of Sunday, a majority of Hawks players have either received their COVID-19 booster shot or don’t meet the criteria, meaning they are within six months of their second dose (when they first received the vaccine).

That means they’ll avoid the game day COVID-19 testing that the NBA has reinstated, beginning Dec. 1, for players and Tier 1 personnel who elect not to receive a booster. In November, the NBA began recommending booster shots for players and Tier 1 personnel (staff that is regularly around the team) to help mitigate breakthrough infections.

Heading into the 2021-22 season, the Hawks’ roster was fully vaccinated, which allowed them to avoid the game day COVID-19 testing they had to undergo beforehand. That testing made their schedule a lot tougher last season, as players would have to test early in the morning before games, even if they had just returned home from a road trip the night before.