MLB COVID protocols to be relaxed under certain conditions?

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MLB COVID-19 protocols expected to be relaxed for teams who have 85% of Tier 1 players vaccinated

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 3/29/21

The Houston Astros will receive the COVID-19 vaccine before Opening Day. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the St. Louis Cardinals are also hoping to get vaccinated before the start of the 2021 season.

With the vaccine becoming more available across the country, Major League Baseball is expected to relax health and safety protocols for teams who have at least 85% of their Tier 1 players vaccinated, per Nightengale.

The #Astros are getting their vaccinations tonight in Houston and the #STLCards are hoping to get their shots tonight in Cincinnati. Once vaccinated, particularly those teams who have at least 85% of their Tier 1 players vaccinated, the protocols are expected to be relaxed.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 29, 2021

This news doesn't necessarily come as a surprise. The CDC says once you have been fully vaccinated, you can:

Gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
Gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
If you've been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.

However, some of the CDC's recommendations don't change for fully vaccinated people. For example, the CDC still recommends socially distancing and wearing a mask in public places.

The COVID-19 vaccine is not 100% effective, no vaccine is. The Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective, while the Moderna vaccine is 94.1% effective, which is why the CDC recommends people continue to be cautious.

Similar to MLB, the NFL is also expected to ease restrictions if most players opt to get vaccinated. The same could potentially be said for the NBA and NHL.

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