Florida Gators Football Confirms First COVID-19 Case in Nearly Two Months
The University of Florida athletic association has provided updated COVID-19 testing results and numbers among all athletes that have returned to campus since May 26th, confirming seven new cases as a whole in the month of September including the first case among the football team since mandatory workouts began on July 14th.
The complete update is as follows, via the UAA:
Based on test results available as of Monday, September 7th
Since all athletes returned to campus on May 26th:
Total Tests On Campus: 1,227
Total Positives On Campus: 42
Total Tests for September: 191
Total Positives for September: 7
Since football athletes returned to campus on May 26th:
Total Tests on Campus: 523
Total Positives on Campus: 22
Total Tests for September: 101
Total Positives for September: 1
When fall camp began on August 17th, head coach Dan Mullen said that he felt comfortable practicing football as coronavirus numbers were wiped away completely when workouts became more structured. A small breakout occurred in the late June-early July timeframe where total cases spiked to 29, with 21 in total across the football team, which Florida contained relatively quickly.
Mullen has stressed that, while the results have been encouraging thus far, the team must remain dedicated and responsible while students flock back to campus this fall.
"The one thing that’s always the biggest concern is the more free time we give the guys," Mullen said on August 25th. "Statistically, what it’s looked like is while we’re doing football, football is very safe. When we send guys away, maybe there’s issues. The more we send them away, the more probably nerve-racking it gets for us. But our guys have done a great job of making decisions, taking care of themselves."
One positive test isn't going to wreck Florida's shot of a 2020 football season so long as the team is swift in containing the case, and of course, the athlete turns out healthy. UF has provided three COVID-19 testing updates in as many weeks now, so we should know if that's the case - for lack of a better word - sooner rather than later.
