March 10, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan says the PGA Tour will continue testing players for Covid-19 for the “foreseeable future” and until a high percentage of competitors are vaccinated. Monahan made the statement on Tuesday while speaking at a news conference ahead of this week’s Players Championship in Florida.
It’s been over a year, however, the PGA Tour has maintained its standards for COVID-19 protocols. Monahan felt there was light at the end of the tunnel, saying “We will continue to provide testing for the foreseeable future and, hopefully, as we get to a high percentage of our players that have been vaccinated, we can start to pull back from the program that we know it as of today.”
As of now, there is no mandate in place requiring PGA Tour players to be vaccinated but according to Monahan, players are eager to be inoculated against COVID-19.
After the Players Championship was canceled following the first round, last year, the PGA Tour took a three-month coronavirus hiatus. Many saw it was a welcomed relief to the quick, ever-changing virus situation that was attacking American citizens.
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At the tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach this week, the filed will be the strongest of the year, 20% of the usual crowd capacity will be allowed at TPC Sawgrass.
COVID-19 protocols that were in effect when tournament play finally resumed have since evolved, including temperature checks upon arrival at events, have been removed in recent weeks.
But Chairman Monahan, credited with salvaging a season last year that many feared would be lost to COVID-19, said the PGA Tour continued to guard itself against thinking the worst was in the past given vaccination efforts were ramping up around the world. “We’ve seen surges, we’ve seen the unpredictable, the uncertain nature of this pandemic and this virus,” he said.
Monahan continued, “While we see light at the end of the tunnel and there are a lot with vaccination and the progress that we’re making and the hope that’s in front of us, you take that, but you still have to remind yourself that you’ve got to focus on your plan and your protocols and make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep health and safety as our number one priority.”
