Dallas Cowboys providing daily COVID-19 tests for family members of staffers in bubble
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is providing daily COVID-19 tests for family members of coaches who are staying in the team bubble at the Omni Hotel in Frisco.
The Cowboys’ coaches and players already undergo daily testing, per NFL protocols.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about for quite some time, about creating a safe haven for the staff,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think you have to give the Jones family a lot of credit of establishing this system of protocol that’s in place, able to test for our families. As of right now, we have the staff at the Omni Hotel just to get us through this transition period.”
McCarthy said the Cowboys are doing everything “we possibly can to make our work space as safe as possible” as the team works through intensive pandemic protocols.
The staff bubble and family testing are things the Cowboys have been discussing for a while but the front office put the plan into action following the Nov. 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had a player test positive for COVID-19 after the game.
The Cowboys also placed defensive end Tyrone Crawford on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list because of close contacts and kicked in more intensive protocols.
The Cowboys had coaches and some staffers move into the Omni Hotel adjacent to the headquarters at the Star and also made it available for family members to get tested.
Crawford has been officially activated from the COVID-19 list, as has quarterback Andy Dalton, who missed the Steelers game due to the virus.
Both practiced on Wednesday and should play Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
“We’re very, very fortunate to have an incredible facility to open up our space so we can continue to work together,” McCarthy said. “We want to make sure we keep everyone as safe as possible during this COVID challenge. The biggest thing is to get our families as far as the same testing program that we’re under.
“We obviously, the staff has been testing every single day since we came back for training camp so just trying to create the same environment for our families.”
It has yet to be determined how long the staffers will stay in the bubble at the hotel.
The NFL announced that all teams will operate under intensive COVID-19 protocols until the end of the season.
The protocols call for meetings to take place virtually and all personnel must wear masks at all times while at team facilities, including on the practice field. They also call for no gatherings of players or other team personnel away from the facility.
The decision was made in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases around the country and the corresponding rise around the NFL.
“The upcoming holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving next week, will introduce new risks of exposure that we need to address now,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a memo sent to all teams on Wednesday. “Because we have a highly sophisticated program of daily testing, we know when the virus enters our facilities, which underscores the importance of contact tracing and other steps to minimize close contacts within a facility.
“Recent experience has highlighted the importance of minimizing high-risk close contacts; on multiple occasions, we have seen individuals identified on that basis test positive within a short time. We have also seen many instances in which effective action by clubs to minimize these close contacts prevented the virus from spreading within the club, and avoided players or coaches being ruled out of practice or games.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 2:28 PM.
