NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a memo to all 32 clubs on Friday night explaining that team facilities can begin to reopen on May 19, but only in places where local restrictions have been eased.
Because New Jersey still has strict stay at home restrictions in place, the Jets and Giants are currently among the group of teams that cannot reopen on Tuesday.
"It takes more time than four days to reopen a facility that has been shut down for two months," the Giants said in a team statement, via SNY's Ralph Vacchiano. "We are subject to state regulations. Bottom line, when we are cleared on all fronts to go back, we will, in an orderly, systematic, safe way to protect those in our building. It has been a process and protocol we have been developing for the last month or two."
The league had previously sent a memo to teams on May 6 explaining protocols for reopening facilities that teams should have in place by Friday. If teams have these protocols in place, they can begin to allow employees back into their buildings.
Of note, no players or coaches will be allowed back in the team facilities, at least at this point. The reasoning is that the league doesn't want to create an unfair competitive advantage by having some coaches and players working back in their offices and meeting rooms while others are still working remotely. Other staff members like personnel, football operations, equipment, and medical staff are permitted.
The latest memo from Goodell outlines that no more than 50 percent of staff (and not exceeding 75 persons) can be back in the building on any given day. Also, any team employee that tests positive for Covid-19 must report the instance to the league.
Per the memo, if the league can successfully and safely execute this first phase of reopening, further steps can then be taken.
"After we implement this first phase, and as more states and localities enact policies that allow more club facilities to reopen, I expect that additional staff, likely including coaching staff, will be allowed to return to club facilities in a relatively short time," Goodell wrote.
In all, this appears to be another positive step towards beginning the NFL season on time, which the league has said all along is the plan.