The NBA announced on Friday that Andrew Wiggins’ request for vaccination exemption had been declined. The 26-year-old Golden State Warrior applied for exemption from a COVID-19 vaccination on religious grounds.
According to local coronavirus regulations in San Francisco, Golden State Warriors players are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to play their home games unless a medical or religious exemption is granted.
The NBA’s decision to decline Wiggins’ request was made clear by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, which released the following statement: “Under the current order, if unvaccinated, they cannot enter indoor areas regardless of the reason they are unvaccinated and cannot test out of this requirement even if they have a medical or religious exemption.”
While the NBA does allow unvaccinated players to play this season, these players will be required to undergo daily testing during practice days as well as travel days.
This rule is however overruled by the local guidelines enforced by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, which Wiggins and other players based in the city are subject to. Until such time as he is vaccinated against COVID-19, Wiggins will be ineligible to appear in home games.
