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Positive COVID Test Within 49ers Threatens Thursday Kickoff

For now, at least, the game remains on as scheduled. Kickoff is set for 7:20 p.m. Thursday.
Bill Huber|
Positive COVID Test Within 49ers Threatens Thursday Kickoff
Positive COVID Test Within 49ers Threatens Thursday Kickoff

GREEN BAY, Wis. – COVID-19 has threatened Thursday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.

The problem, however, might not be within the Packers.

San Francisco receiver Kendrick Bourne has tested positive for coronavirus, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday morning. As a response, the 49ers closed their facility and will spend the day working remotely.

For now, at least, the game remains on as scheduled. Kickoff is set for 7:20 p.m. Thursday.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur on Tuesday said the team was scheduled to depart for Santa Clara, Calif., “a little after 4 (p.m.)” Wednesday. As of 1:30 p.m., that flight was still scheduled with the expectation of the game being played on Thursday night.

On Monday, the Packers learned running back AJ Dillon had tested negative during Sunday’s round of testing before the game against Minnesota. Deemed “high-risk” close contacts, running back Jamaal Williams and linebacker Kamal Martin joined Dillon on the COVID-reserve list.

However, the Packers have received two days of negative test results, leading to optimism that they’d play San Francisco on Thursday. That might still happen, but the scheduled  kickoff is at least in some doubt given the timing of the Niners’ positive test.

Fortunately for both teams, there is plenty of time to play the game this week should contact tracing provide reason for additional concern. The NFL has shown a willingness to reschedule games, so presumably the game could be moved to Sunday or Monday to ensure player safety.

“Whenever we have a single positive case, we want to try to wall that off and seal that off from the rest of the team,” NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said during a conference call on Tuesday. “That’s why we’re putting these measures in place with the high-risk contacts, with the intensive protocol. We want to isolate that and prevent transmission in and around the building. When you look at a list of close contacts, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re more likely to have transmission. It just means we’ve identified people that we are think are a vulnerability.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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