NFL announces 10 new coronavirus cases among players and staff

Sep 1 2020, 11:25 pm

The NFL and NFLPA announced 10 new positive cases of COVID-19 today, just nine days before the opening game of the 2020 season.

Four of the new confirmed positive tests were among players, while six others were from team personnel. The testing results were from August 21-29, with players and “Tier 1 and 2 personnel” tested daily, and Tier 3 individuals tested weekly.

A total of 58,621 tests were administered to a total of 2,747 players and 5,992 team personnel, the league said.

Anyone that tests positive for the coronavirus must follow joint NFL-NFLPA treatment protocol. They are immediately isolated, not allowed access to club facilities, or have direct contact with players or personnel.

“Club medical staff are in regular communication with individuals who test positive to monitor symptoms,” the NFL said in a media release.

The test results are higher than those announced last week when six team personnel and no players tested positive.

Most teams are not allowing fans to attend games this season, at least at first. There are, however, a handful of teams that will be allowing limited capacity for Week 1.

Among those teams are the Kansas City Chiefs, who are hosting the first game of the NFL season on September 10. Approximately 16,000 fans will be permitted to attend in the 72,936-seat Arrowhead Stadium, according to ESPN.

Other teams allowing fans, with approximately 20-25% capacity, include the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Dallas Cowboys.

While the NFL canceled all preseason games this year, the league is planning to play a full 16-game regular-season schedule for each of its 32 teams.

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