A day after the 23rd game of the season was postponed, the NBA informed teams that the league will begin enforcing mask rules for players and staff when face coverings are required, including during games, such as by Shams Charania with The Athletic reported.
Players and staff who do not comply with the latest league rules will be penalized.
The NBA has announced to its 30 teams that the league will begin its program on Friday to enforce face mask rules during games, penalizing any player or employee who does not comply @ TheAthletic @Stadion.
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2021
The decision is made as the league tries to get a grip on the spread of COVID-19.
Monday night’s competition between the Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons was canceled due to an inconclusive test with the Pistons Party, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnaroski.
The season is already ten games below the normal 82-game schedule, and officials must try to figure out how to deal with the 23 games that have been postponed so far.
The NBA will begin enforcement once KN95 or KF94 masks are made available to all teams. This is expected to happen next week.
However, the league is planning tougher enforcement during games that begin this Friday.
N95 masks offer the best possible protection against COVID-19 transmission. However, due to the lack of these masks, other options are also used.
The KN95 is a Chinese equivalent of the N95 and filters out 95 percent of the particles in the air and intercepts them.
The KF94 is the South Korean equivalent of the N95 and filters out 94 percent of the particles.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 tracker, more than 100,000 people develop the disease every day.
