49ers Can't Play or Practice in Santa Clara County for Next Three Weeks
What a mess.
Player after player on the 49ers has gotten injured or tested positive for COVID-19 this season. And now, the 49ers can't even play or practice in their own facility for the next three weeks.
Santa Clara county forbids any contact sports or practices for 21 days starting Monday unless all participants first quarantine for 14 days. Which means the 49ers will have to find somewhere else to practice and a new site for their upcoming home games against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team.
Here's a statement from the Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody:
“We have come to a place where our cases and our hospitalizations are so high that we must do something to settle things down. I have been sounding the alarm about our rising case rates and hospitalizations for some time and we are now at a critical inflection point. In fact what we do and what we don’t do starting today may mean a matter of life and death for many living in our county.”
And here's a statement from the 49ers:
“We are aware of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s emergency directive. We are working with the NFL and our partners on operational plans and will share details as they are confirmed.”
The 49ers haven't decided where they will play their upcoming home games. But it seems their best option with be to play at Cal, which has a state of the art stadium in Strawberry Canyon. It also has new turf, as opposed to the Oakland Coliseum which has old grass and a dirt infield.
Cal doesn't have much parking, but that doesn't matter because no fans can attend the game, anyway. A 49ers game wouldn't disrupt Berkeley at all.
Of course, this assumes there even will be games a few weeks from now. The way things are going, the NFL might have to pause the season for a weeks the way the NBA did earlier this year.
What a mess.
