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After several positive COVID-19 tests, the Gators continue to halt all in-person operations until at least Monday.
Where the Team Stands Now
Soon after a slew of positive tests plagued the Gator football organization, both games against LSU and Missouri were postponed. Now, the Gators find themselves in quarantine rather than practicing for a showdown against Missouri this weekend. In a press conference on Wednesday, Dan Mullen said that the team will not return to regular operations until Monday at the earliest.
As of today, Mullen said that, as of Tuesday’s tests, one new player tested positive for COVID-19. The coach is hopeful that the team will return on Monday with no new positive tests. The team paused all in-person activities on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Mullen himself is currently recovering from COVID-19 himself after news broke that he tested positive on Oct. 17.
How the Virus Spread
A big question over the last week has been based on the source of the outbreak. Many people have pointed to the team’s travel to College Station for the Oct. 10 game against Texas A&M. Mullen says that the sudden outbreak is likely due to the trip. He says that it could have been an unknown positive that then interacted with the rest of the team during the trip.
Texas A&M was also one of three SEC schools fined by the SEC due to failure to abide by the set COVID-19 guidelines, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger.
Looking Ahead
Our game vs. Missouri has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 31st.https://t.co/lUsdMkRFgP
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 16, 2020
The Gators are looking to return to practice on Monday in preparation for the newly scheduled Oct. 31 game against Missouri. This game will be the first time the Gators will play against another team in two weeks. Mullen says that they will prepare for the game as if they are coming off of a bye week, with a focus on game planning.
However, due to quarantining and trying to stop the spread of the virus, the team will not be able to do much for nearly two weeks. The team is still hopeful that they will be able to prepare as best as they can and return strong against Missouri on Oct. 31.
