Detroit Lions staff member tests positive for COVID, team now in ‘intensive protocol’

On Friday night, the Detroit Lions announced that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 and has immediately self-quarantined.

“Our club was notified today that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19,” the team announced in an official statement. “We are currently operating under the NFL’s Intensive Protocol. The individual immediately self-quarantined and has not been in our practice facility for the last 48 hours.”

The Lions did not provide any details as to who tested positive, but it just adds to a hectic week in which the Lions sent three separate players to the reserve/COVID-19 list due to isolated incidents. While we also don’t know the details of those individual cases, we do know that Matthew Stafford did not test positive, but was rather placed on the list due to high-risk contact with someone who did.

The Lions are now in the NFL’s “Intensive Protocol,” which is detailed specifically here:

Here are the most notable points:

• Practice/walthroughs are permitted, but all players must wear masks or face shields.
• No more than 10 players and five staff in the weight room at all times. Masks mandatory.
• Locker room use strongly discouraged
• No in-person meetings in rooms smaller than a full-team room

At this point, it doesn’t appear the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings is in jeopardy. However, this is the first confirmed positive test for the Lions during the regular season, and it’s still unclear exactly why both Jarrad Davis and Jalen Elliott landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

For now, the Lions—and head coach Matt Patricia—appear to be doing all they can to prevent a breakout.

“Doing the best we can to stay in front of it from that standpoint and trying to always go more extreme than we need to,” Patricia said earlier in the day on Sunday. “Just to make sure that we’re staying safe, but understand that everything can change, you know, day-by-day.”