COVID-19 Latest: Masks, Testing, Pac-12

Thus far, training camps have been more successful than anyone could have anticipated in terms of the NFL’s battle with COVID-19. Though there was a slight hiccup last week due to a series of false positive tests, the true positivity rate across all 32 clubs is less than 1%.

In a recent videoconference with Washington Post reporters and editors, NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills said the league hopes to finalize testing protocols for regular season games within the next couple of days (via Mark Maske of the Washington Post). Those protocols are likely to include rapid-result testing that will be conducted close to game time (if not on the day of the game itself) to provide players with final clearance to participate in games. As of right now, the league and union have agreed to daily testing through September 5. The first regular season game is scheduled for September 10.

Interestingly, Sills said that a player does not need to test positive to be withheld from a game. A player who exhibits COVID-19 symptoms will be held out regardless of his test results. Sills added that it is difficult to say how many positive tests would lead to a team being shut down, though even one positive test could do it if the person who tested positive had a large number of close contacts.

As we inch closer to the Texans-Chiefs contest that is now less than two weeks away, let’s take a look at several more COVID-related items:

• The NFL will mandate coaches and all sideline staffers wear masks during games, Sills said. Owners must also don masks if they want to enter team locker rooms on game days. The league, however, will not require players to wear masks on the sideline during games — unless a state mandates it — according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
• Another big change on the COVID front this week: players will not be allowed in team facilities on Mondays after games, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. While exceptions exist — for teams on short weeks and players rehabbing injuries — this marks a notable adjustment for teams during the regular season.
• Daily testing will continue across the league for the foreseeable future. The NFL and NFLPA on Saturday reached a second agreement to extend the daily testing period, Pelissero tweets. What was a two-week experiment has turned into a successful, longer-term policy.
• No NFL players who have contracted COVID-19 have been diagnosed with myocarditis, the heart muscle muscle inflammation that has been associated with the coronavirus and that contributed to the Big Ten’s decision to postpone its fall schedule (Twitter link via John Kryk of the Toronto Sun). All NFL players are tested for myocarditis, so the fact that there have been no cases so far is obviously great news.
• The Pac-12 has secured an arrangement that will allow the conference to test football players daily. The league has partnered with Quidel, and this agreement will enable test results to emerge within 15 minutes, Nick Bromberg of Yahoo.com notes. The NFL has been testing players daily for nearly a month and has not revealed plans to stop doing so. The Pac-12 joined the Big Ten in postponing its football season, but this testing deal stands to help the conference play its 2020 campaign at some point.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.