A recent positive COVID-19 test by Green Bay Packers running back A.J. Dillon did not disrupt the team's plans to visit the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, even with two other Packers players ordered to quarantine because of close contact with Dillon. Now, however, the Packers could be forced to adjust their Week 9 schedule because of a COVID-19 issue with their opponent. The 49ers have shut down their facility amid their own COVID test results, potentially putting Thursday's game in jeopardy.
"The San Francisco 49ers were informed today that a player has tested positive for COVID-19 and the individual immediately went into self-quarantine," the 49ers said in a statement on Wednesday. "Our organization has entered the NFL's intensive protocol and we are working with the league on contact tracing to identify high risk individuals. All team functions will be conducted virtually today.
"The health and safety of our players, staff and community are the organization's highest priority. We will continue to work closely with the NFL and medical professionals and will follow their direction."
All of the Niners' remaining preparations for this week's home game will be conducted virtually, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, and contact tracing regarding an apparent positive COVID case is already underway. It's too early to say whether Thursday night's game will actually be postponed, Garafolo added, with Schefter noting that Wednesday's shutdown is "precautionary" and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero indicating the game currently remains on the schedule. But it's fair to say the matchup is worth monitoring, especially in the event San Francisco discovers that multiple players or staff have tested positive. As of now, the expectation is that the game will still be played as scheduled.
It's certainly not impossible San Francisco could still host the Packers. Several teams have temporarily closed facilities in the days leading up to games and still ended up playing them as scheduled this season, including the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts. Some of those cases involved false positives, however, so Thursday night's NFC showdown is almost entirely dependent on what further testing and contact tracing reveals inside the 49ers' building.
