Before the National Football League becomes fully open for business, protocols need to be put into place for the safe reopening of team facilities and stadiums around the country.
Training camps are slated to start in six weeks for most clubs and the NFL must figure out how to handle those players and staff who ultimately test positive for COVID-19.
Following the news that players from both the Texans and the Cowboys have tested positive for the coronavirus, NFLPA medical director Thomas Mayer spoke with NFL agents, per Tom Pelissero.
“In a call with agents today, NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer said the current plan is to test players for COVID-19 about 3 times a week, isolating those who test positive,” Pelissero tweeted Monday afternoon. “Per Mayer, there’s a 90% chance reliable saliva testing is available before players return to facilities.”
Pelissero also noted that NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said the union and the NFL are expected “to make headway on overall protocols going forward in the next 30 days or so.”
More testing will inevitably expose more cases, however, the NFL must find a way to safely handle any potential outbreaks before players are allowed to report for duty.
