The NFL and the NFLPA reached an agreement on procedures for a full reopening of team practice facilities, according to a memo sent to all teams Monday.
The Falcons’ facilities closed March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic. They reopened May 19 with 15 employees.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn was allowed to return Friday, and the assistant coaches were set to return Monday.
“We are all hoping to get back to a pre-COVID-19 football situation as much as everybody wants us to get there,” Falcons player representative Josh Harris told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There are hurdles that need to be crossed and a lot of things that need to be taken care of, especially on the testing front, before we can really move forward with a lot of that.”
The outlines are in place.
“The good news is that it has been progressing, and hopefully soon we’ll be able to start reporting and be able to go through the processes that have been laid out by health and safety guidelines to safely return back to work,” Harris said.
In the memo to the 32 teams, the league described protocols focusing on screening, testing, infection prevention and treatment for COVID-19, including a response for new infections.
Also, included were instructions on proper facility access, cleaning and disinfecting; physical distancing; hygiene, health education and medical services; food preparation; supplies; and team travel.
The Falcons are hoping to return in July, with the rookies reporting early ahead of the veterans, if the guidelines allow.
The league noted that the protocols were developed in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Duke's Infection Control Network and other universities.
“No set of protocols can eliminate the risk of contracting COVID-19, nor ensure that the disease itself will be mild,” Goodell wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The Associated Press. “And we should expect that these protocols will change as medical and scientific knowledge of the disease continues to grow. But we believe, along with the NFLPA, that these protocols offer a sound basis for bringing players back into the facilities and moving forward with our planning for the 2020 season.”
Dallas and Pittsburgh are set to play the first exhibition game Aug 6.
The NFL, at this time, plans to open the season on time with a game in Kansas City on Sept. 10.
The Falcons could open training camp in the middle of July.
“That’s kind of what I’m hoping for,” Harris said about a July opening of camp. “We can at least get there into training camp and try to make this uncertain and abnormal time feel, I guess, a little bit more normal with at least getting back to doing what we love to do and that’s playing football. We can do all that, and we can get the COVID stuff under control and behind and move on to brighter futures.”
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