The NFL is ramping up COVID-19 protocol leading up to the Super Bowl.
Coaches and players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs will be tested twice daily before the Feb. 7 game in Tampa, sources told ESPN.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed players receive a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test in the morning and a rapid PCR test later in the afternoon.
As of today, any player with a positive test will be ruled out for the Super Bowl, which will remain on as scheduled, ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported.
All other protocol will remain in place. Players who receive a positive test must be isolated for at least 10 days from the day of the testing result, returning to game action only if asymptomatic. Players are prohibited from gathering outside of the facility or team travel.
The NFL successfully navigated a full season with no game cancellations despite several potential COVID outbreaks with the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and others. The league punished teams that broke protocol with fines and/or loss of draft picks.
The NFL administered more than 954,000 tests and incurred costs of $100-plus million throughout the process, ESPN National NFL Writer Kevin Seifert reported.