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Cleveland Browns reopen facilities after new COVID-19 test results come up negative

Cleveland Browns cancel practice after irregular COVID-19 test results from New Jersey lab
Posted at 9:58 AM, Aug 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-23 15:33:56-04

The Cleveland Browns have reopened their facilities after new COVID-19 test results came up negative.

The team initially canceled the practice to due testing irregularities from a New Jersey lab that impacted several teams.

The team said they tested the coaches and players that originally tested positive. All results came back negative.

The team released the following statement:

“We’ve concluded our re-testing of each initial presumptive positive result from yesterday among players, coaches and staff. All have come back as negative, which is consistent with the irregularities across the league from multiple teams. As a result, we are reopening our building and will resume football activities this afternoon. As per protocol, the individuals with test results in question may not re-enter the building until they receive another negative test result tomorrow.”

The NFL said teams across the league are enacting their coronavirus plans.

The league released the following statement:

"Saturday's daily COVID testing returned several positives tests from each of the clubs serviced by the same laboratory in New Jersey. We are working with our testing partner, BioReference, to investigate these results, while the clubs work to confirm or rule out the positive tests. Clubs are taking immediate precautionary measures as outlined in the NFL-NFLPA's health and safety protocols to include contact tracing, isolation of individuals and temporarily adjusting the schedule, where appropriate. The other laboratories used for NFL testing have not had similar results.”

This story was first reported by Courtney Shaw at WEWS in Cleveland, Ohio.