CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from Dec. 29, 2020.
When the NBA kicked off its 2020-21 season last month, it did so with a number of coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols in place.
One of the most unique is that teams are only permitted to eat at four specific restaurants in each city they are visiting for a road game.
These restaurants must adhere to strict guidelines, including having an outdoor space or a private room that doesn't share air space with the rest of the establishment, servers wearing masks and faceguards and maintain a distance of six feet from players and coaches and a secure entrance and exit path to limit exposure restaurant employees and patrons. In some cities, teams have also required participating restaurants to have their staff participate in strict COVID-19 testing regimens.
Earlier this week, ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz published the full list of restaurants that are permitted for visiting NBA teams in each city. When it comes to the Cavaliers, teams visiting Cleveland will have the option to eat at one of the four downtown staples:
- Barrio Gateway
- Betts
- Morton's Steakhouse
- Red the Steakhouse
You can read the full list of permitted restaurants across the NBA here.
On Tuesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's office approved a variance allowing the Cavs to host 1,944 fans at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for games this season.
The Cavs had previously only been permitted to host 300 fans at home games through the first week of the regular season and are one of just five teams currently allowing fans to attend games.