Vikings stop practice after Titans players test positive for COVID-19

People playing football.
Kirk Cousins (No. 8) of the Minnesota Vikings drops back against the Tennessee Titans in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Adam Bettcher | Getty Images

Updated 11:50 a.m.

The Minnesota Vikings are halting practice and other team activities after tests confirmed COVID-19 among several players on the Tennessee Titans, the team the Vikings played Sunday in Minneapolis.

The NFL said in a statement that tests on three Titans players and five team personnel have come back positive, putting them well within the window of possible transmission during Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

This is the first such outbreak in the NFL since the season began.

Tennessee said it would conduct additional testing, contact tracing and taking other measures to track and stop the potential spread of the coronavirus. The Titans have reportedly shut down their facilities through Saturday, the day before they are scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In a statement announcing the suspension of practice, the Vikings said no players have tested positive for COVID-19 following Sunday’s game. The team is scheduled to play the Houston Texans Sunday in Houston.

The Vikings have reported a past case in a staff member, and a dozen false positives in a testing error incident last month. But the Titan cases may be the first involving potential on-field contact between opposing teams.

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