Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving still isn’t really close to being able to play home games.
Irving has been very open about being unvaccinated and due to local COVID-19 vaccine mandates in New York, he hasn’t been eligible to suit up for home games. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
With the vaccine mandate for indoor events set to be lifted in early March, fans might have thought Irving would soon return. Well, that’s wrong.
New York City’s #COVID numbers continue to go down.
So long as our indicators show a low level of risk and we see no surprises this week, on Monday, March 7 we will also remove the vaccination requirements for Key2NYC — meaning indoor dining, fitness and entertainment venues.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) February 27, 2022
According to Shams Charania, Irving will be allowed at the Barclays Center as a spectator, but won’t be able to suit up because of “the private sector mandate.” Yahoo reported that the private sector mandate requires “attendees and participants at entertainment venues to be vaccinated.”
So, he can sit in the stands and watch but not suit up and play!
New York City will lift Key2NYC vaccine mandate on March 7, assuming numbers stay on track, per Mayor Eric Adams.
But: I’m told the private sector mandate still restricts Kyrie Irving from playing in home games, although he could enter Barclays Center as spectator.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 27, 2022
It’s stuff like this that just makes me shake my head and laugh. Irving won’t be allowed to play in games at the Barclays Center because he’s a participant at an entertainment venue, but he can sit in the stands with the fans and watch.
How the hell does that make sense? How is it safe for Irving to be in packed stands, but not on the court where there’s spacing?
It really makes you wonder how much of this is even about science.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGmbLrzLnHs
Hopefully, Irving is able to play at the Barclays center at some point because this is all getting ridiculous.