The 49ers on Thursday announced their first steps to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The team in a statement said they’re pulling scouts and coaches off the road, and will shut down their facilities and Levi’s Stadium. A timetable for re-opening has not been set. Here’s the statement that was sent out Thursday afternoon:
Our organization continues to collaborate with federal, state, and local health organizations, as well as our League office, to monitor the evolving developments regarding COVID-19. Our intent is to make the most informed decisions regarding the health and wellness of all San Francisco 49ers and Levi’s Stadium employees, patrons, and the community at large.
In light of guidelines issued by the federal government to stop the spread of COVID-19, the SAP Performance Center and Levi’s Stadium will close operations beginning March 13 until further notice. Employees, with limited exemptions, have been instructed to work remotely while coaches and scouts will return home by the weekend. Public and private team events have also been cancelled in accordance with these guidelines.
As we continue preparations for the 2020 season and the upcoming Levi’s Stadium event calendar, we are in close contact with the NFL and event organizers to gather and share pertinent updates when appropriate. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and patience while we manage this unprecedented situation with a primary focus on ensuring public safety.
For the 49ers specifically, they shouldn’t see any major issues in their draft preparations caused by the COVID-19 precautions.
The NFL on Thursday announced the cancellation of the annual March meetings in Florida, and several other teams begin scaling back their remote offseason preparations.
Teams should be able to continue draft preparation remotely, although visits with draft prospects, pre-draft workouts and free agent visits will likely be scaled back if not completely abandoned.
Where things could get interesting is if concerns about the spread of COVID-19 creep into late April with the NFL draft scheduled to begin April 23 in Las Vegas. With the cancellation of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, and the suspension of games in other major American sports leagues, it’s hard to imagine the NFL would go through with the draft as normal.
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