Hope grows that New York vaccination mandate will soon be

Hope grows that New York vaccination mandate will soon be lifted

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6:05 pm ET

  • Adrian Voinarovsky

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  • Jeff Passan

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Progress towards further changes to New York’s private sector vaccine mandate has given rise to confidence that Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving may return to the Barclays Center home court in the near future, and that New York City players the York Yankees and Mets that those who haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed to play at home before the opening in April, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

New York Mayor Eric Adams’ office has been working with health officials on a plan that will affect more people, not just the unvaccinated, high-profile professional athletes in the area, the sources said, and while a final decision has yet to be made, hope is growing. that the lifting of the mandate restricting NBA and MLB players from participating in home games will be lifted in the near future.

On Tuesday, Adams said “baseball, basketball, business… they need to wait until that layer comes in,” but sources believe the plan is moving forward and Irving could be on the court as early as next week.

The Yankees’ first home game will take place on April 7, the NBA play-in tournament will begin on April 12, and the Mets’ home first game will take place on April 15.

The Nets, Yankees, and Mets are all awaiting the end of the self-employed mandate, which prevents employees from working in the office — or players from playing for their teams — without a COVID-19 shot. Irving, who has made it clear on numerous occasions that he has no intention of getting vaccinated, has been unable to play in New York this season due to the mandate. Unvaccinated road players were allowed to play in NBA games in New York and could also play in baseball games.

With MLB having the lowest vaccination rate of the top four male professional sports in the U.S., the longer the mandate lasts, the more in danger the Yankees and Mets find themselves in. According to sources, baseball officials have been working with the mayor’s office and are taking a cautiously optimistic approach to repealing the mandate.

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However, teams and players are preparing for the worst. In a recent memo sent to Yankees and Mets players’ agents on a 40-man team roster and obtained by ESPN, the MLB Players Association outlined the most serious consequences of an unvaccinated player on either team: a limited list during which they received no salary, nor, more importantly, length of service.

For any upcoming free agent, the result could be devastating if the mandate continues throughout the season. Baseball defines leeway by time spent in the major leagues. Yankees star Aaron Judge, who dodged questions about his vaccination status earlier this spring, is due to become a free agent after the 2022 season. If he spent less than 121 days in the active roster for any reason, Judge’s freedom of action would be delayed for a year.

Already unvaccinated baseball players are expected to miss their team’s games against the Toronto Blue Jays – as well as the wages and services that come with them – after the league and union agreed that entry rules to Canada would prevent them from playing there. The Yankees are playing 10 games there this season.

An MLBPA memo states that, unless the mandate is revoked, unvaccinated Yankees or Mets “will not be allowed to enter the New York City clubhouse,” which includes “the clubhouse, practice rooms, gyms, hitting cages, and outdoor playing fields.” .

With the Yankees’ first home game on April 7, the memo said, players who plan to receive a one-time Johnson & Johnson vaccine will need to do so by Thursday to be eligible to play on Opening Day. Since the Mets’ home game will not open until April 15, the last day they can get a J&J shot and continue playing, according to a memo, is April 1. Players can also get their first dose of Pfizer and Moderna much closer to Opening Day with the expectation that they will receive a second dose within 45 days.

“We’re going to get it right,” Adams said Tuesday. “We will follow the science… We will make the right decision. And in New York, whatever you do is 8.8 million people and 30 million opinions, so you’ll never go to satisfy New Yorkers, so you have to be guided by logic, your heart and science.”

Nick Friedell of ESPN contributed to this report.