CHICAGO _ Testing, testing. 1-2-3. Testing.
Welcome to NFL training camps in 2020.
In this new pandemic-restricted world, all 32 teams are rapidly adapting to increase the safety of their work environments and prevent a spread of COVID-19 from significantly disrupting the season.
"We know this is going to be challenging," said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer. "And we've said it won't be easy. But I also remain cautiously optimistic about moving forward into this season."
Away we go.
Much of this, of course, starts with testing.
COVID-19 testing will be the first task on the to-do list for every player reporting to camp this week. For the Bears, whose official reporting date to Halas Hall was Tuesday, every player will take three coronavirus entry tests over a four-day span. If _ and only if _ all three nasal swab tests come back negative will players be permitted inside the building for physical examinations and equipment pickup.
From there? With protocols established by the NFL and the NFLPA under advisement from their joint coronavirus medical task force, players, coaches and additional team personnel will continue to undergo COVID-19 testing daily, a process that will shift to every-other-day testing only after a team has established a positivity rate of less than 5% at its facility.
Got all that?
That's just Step 1, a long way from holding an actual padded practice. Which is a long way from a safe and smooth start to actual games in September. Which is a long way from navigating through the entire regular season, into the playoffs and onward toward Super Bowl LV without interruption.
There are no guarantees the NFL can make its way to the end of this complex maze without a few detours or full stops over the next six months.
Across the league, positive COVID-19 tests are already springing up as expected, triggering troubleshooting efforts and treatment procedures as guided by the policies the NFL and NFLPA recently agreed on.
On Monday, 18 more players were placed on the league's reserve/COVID-19 list, an indication they either tested positive for the coronavirus or were in close contact with a carrier. That list included Bears rookie running back Artavis Pierce.
The NFL is counting on its detailed testing setup as a key piece in this puzzle to get everything started on the right foot.
