It’s been a rough few days for the Chicago Bears between a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a string of positive COVID tests.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning, and he’s away from the facility until further notice. But Nagy’s diagnosis is far from an isolated case.
With Nagy’s positive test, the Bears now have six players and coaches on the COVID-19 list. Outside linebacker Robert Quinn, tight end Jimmy Graham, right tackle Elijah Wilkinson, linebacker Caleb Johnson and wide receivers coach Mike Furrey are the others. Running back Damien Williams was removed from the list on Saturday.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bears are now in enhanced mitigation protocols after a series of positive COVID tests.
As for what that means, players and staff will be required to wear masks and be tested daily regardless of whether they’re vaccinated or not.
After a series of recent positive COVID tests, the #Bears are now in enhanced mitigation protocols, per source. Among other things, that means mandatory mask-wearing and daily testing for all players and staff, regardless of vaccination status.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 25, 2021
With Nagy away from Halas Hall until further notice, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will run any team meetings in Nagy’s absence. That gives defensive coordinator Sean Desai and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor time to focus on their respective units.
For any vaccinated players or coaches testing positive for COVID-19, they need two negative tests more than 24 hours apart in order to return. If unvaccinated, they’re mandated to isolate for 10 days and can return after if asymptomatic.
