The NFL ran into its first real COVID-19 testing problem over the weekend as a New Jersey-based lab returned dozens of positive results for a multitude of teams, including the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings.
Although they use the same lab, the New York Giants were somehow largely spared, with only non-coaching staff members coming back positive.
To clarify on this: The Giants' false-positives weren't players. It was a few staffers, and the team had those staffers stay home today.
Same issue though, with the lab in New Jersey. https://t.co/gMLfwFEWtP
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 23, 2020
As both the league and the organization investigate the matter, those staffers were told to stay home. However, coaches and players returned to team facilities and even held a walkthrough practice on Sunday afternoon.
“We have a trailer in our parking lot where everyone in our organization gets tested on a daily basis,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters. “There is a survey you fill out first relating to any symptoms, then you go through the nose swab and the temperature check. Then they let you in. You go about your day. You get the results later on.
“Ronnie Barnes and his staff are handling all of the testing protocols. We have confidence with what’s going on and what the league has in place. We’re following them internally every day. We social distance within the building. We obviously test on a daily basis. I can’t speak for what’s going on around the league and other clubs. But we were able to come out today, everyone was out here and everyone was present.”
In the event the Giants are hit with a rash of positive tests — even if they are false-positives — there are contingency plans in place for not only players and coaches, but the remainder of the organization staff as well.
“We put down a contingency plan for if any coach or staff member wasn’t available on a daily basis,” Judge said. “It’s not just if one person is missing. What if multiple people are missing? Who handles each responsibility?
“We’re going beyond the coaching staff right now to keep a lot of different people in the organization involved so that, if it was ever an emergency situation, we have people who are up to date schematically and conceptually on what we are doing football-wise to have as many hands on deck available for us.”
The ultra-detailed Judge literally has a plan right down to the cafeteria staff.
“Everyone we have availability to within the building that could help us out within anything from game planning to on the field,” Judge added. “Strength coaches, QCs (Quality Control Coaches), some of the tech interns we have that are working analytics. These are people who are involved and present in our meetings every day. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re in the meeting, you better learn the material. If you know the material, you better have a voice when it’s asked.
“We’re probably putting everybody in the organization right now to be ready. We’ve addressed it individually with people so they know what it is. It’s obviously a down the line type of plan, but you have to have an emergency plan. That’s what an emergency would be, when you have to go outside the framework of your immediate coaching staff.”
For now, the Giants can go about business as usual, but this situation is a stark reminder that things could change on a dime.
from Giants Wire https://ift.tt/2Ytw6cp
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