CNBC (07/21/20) Golden, Jessica

The National Football League (NFL) will start using Kinexon's wearable SafeZone tags for coronavirus contact tracing and social distancing when training camp begins, while the National Basketball Association is already using the devices at its "bubble" campus in Orlando, Florida. The tag alerts users when they violate social distancing rules and monitors those they are in close contact with, while the data in anonymized to protect privacy. Whereas Kinexon's performance tracking devices deliver valuable data to teams through precise location and movement monitoring, SafeZone only measures proximity between people and the length of time of interactions. Each tag features a proximity sensor and can be worn as a wristband or an ID badge, or incorporated into equipment for games and practice. When a player or staffer comes within six feet of another person, a red light will flash as a warning; after five seconds, an alarm will go off, notifying wearers that they should distance themselves. The NFL says the SafeZone tags will be employed to identify in-game close contacts, and they must be worn during team activities, practice and team travel. Everyone, not just players, in the NFL team environment will wear the tags daily, receiving them at check-in at the start of each day and turning them in at the end for data download and sterilization. Contact tracing using the tags' information will be performed by IQVIA, an independent third-party company that works with the NFL on health and safety-related data.

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