The Ravens and all 32 NFL teams received a detailed memo from the league and the NFLPLA on Sunday, outlining procedures for the eventual return of players and employees to team facilities.
No timetable has been set for the return of most players to team complexes. Currently, only a handful of players rehabbing from injuries have been permitted into the Under Armour Performance Center since mid-March, and nearly all team employees continue to work remotely.
However, the Ravens coaching staff returned to the facility on Monday for the first time in nearly three months. Setting procedures for more players and employees to return is another step toward the planned opening of training camps at some point in July.
In the memo, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the protocols for returning to team facilities were developed while consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 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 said in the memo, via ESPN. "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 of the 2020 season."
Players were advised on social media by NFLPA President J.C. Tretter to check with the union regarding any updates on returning to team facilities. Tretter, a center with the Cleveland Browns, said the union would continue to push for "the safest possible return to work."
include players, most coaches and anyone who must have direct access to players. A maximum of 60 people, in addition to players, will be in Tier 1.
Tier 2 will include ownership representatives, some employees, additional coaches, the general manager, football operations employees, team communications staff and security personnel. They will all have limited access to restricted areas. Employees in Tier 1 and Tier 2 must undergo daily screening and testing before entering the facility. If available, there will be a separate entrance for Tier 1 and Tier 2 employees.
Tier 3 will include employees who perform essential services but do not require close contact with people in Tier 1.
In May, President Dick Cass said protocols would change dramatically from last year for those who return to work at the Under Armour Performance Center. Six feet of social distancing will be in full effect and every person in the building will be required to wear a mask. Break rooms, restrooms, and other high traffic areas may only be occupied by only one person at a time.
However, Cass was optimistic about the chances of starting training camp in July, followed by a full season.
