NBA referees to be vaccinated against COVID-19

The NBA said it has reached an agreement with its referees to be vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 for the upcoming season.

In a statement on Saturday, the league said every referee must follow the new requirement unless they have a medical or religious exemption.

Unvaccinated referees won’t be eligible to work games this season, according to the statement describing the agreement with the National Basketball Referee Association (NBRA). 

The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/khXtZ5QVRo

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 28, 2021

“This agreement is a win-win. It supports the NBA’s objective of creating a safer on-court environment & continuity of play while protecting the health & wellbeing of the officials; a clear example of when Labor & management work together for the common good of collective business,” the NBA referees’ association wrote in a tweet.

This agreement is a win-win. It supports the NBA’s objective of creating a safer on-court environment & continuity of play while protecting the health & wellbeing of the officials; a clear example of when Labor & management work together for the common good of collective business https://t.co/bKTMzE8kpT

— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) August 28, 2021

The league in a memo last week said that all team personnel, including coaches, social media producers and front office members, must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1, before the start of the regular season, The Associated Press reported

The developments come as the U.S. is seeing another wave of COVID-19 infections, with the highly contagious delta variant hitting the unvaccinated hard.