NFL, NFLPA agree on coronavirus testing protocols
By Mike Luciano
The NFL and the NFLPA have agreed on COVID-19 testing protocols.
NFL players are once again irritated with the decision-makers within the league, as the lack of uniformity with regards to how the COVID-19 virus should be handled has been a major sticking point for players concerned about their safety.
Per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the league has finally agreed on a testing regimen. The league will test players every day for at least the next two weeks. They will change their testing frequency to every other day if the positivity rate drops below five percent. If it doesn’t, testing will continue daily.
NFL and NFLPA have agreed on testing protocols. They will start with daily testing for the first two weeks, then go to every other day if the positive test rate falls below 5 percent. If it doesn't, they'll keep testing daily.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) July 20, 2020
The NFL finally appears to be showing concern for the safety of the players.
“This is ongoing work,” Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, told ESPN. “There’s no finish line with health and safety, and I think these protocols are living, breathing documents, which means they will change as we get new information. They will undoubtedly be changing over time, which is what we usually see in medicine.”
While it sounds low, and it is below the national average, a five percent positivity rate would still be extremely concerning given the fact that the MLB has had a much lower positivity rate than five percent at times.
The league’s new testing measures couldn’t have come at a better time, as rookies from the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, who will play in the 2020 season’s first matchup, reported to camp.
light. Related Story. Rookies on the Chiefs and Texans reported for their COVID-19 tests today
After the NBA created a secure bubble in which there have been zero positive tests over the last week, the pressure is on the NFL to come up with a plan that minimizes or outright eliminates the possibility of a positive test that spreads within a locker room. Testing every single day should, at the very least, give the NFL an up-to-date snapshot of how the virus is spreading within the league, if it is at all.