A new temporary ban on contact sports in Santa Clara County has left the San Francisco 49ers without a field to both play and practice for the next several weeks. The order is the newest attempt to control the coronavirus in the area.
"All recreational activities that involve physical contact or close proximity to persons outside one's household, including all contact sports, will be temporarily prohibited," the order said. "People can continue to engage in outdoor athletics and recreation where social distancing can be maintained at all times."
The 49ers are currently scheduled to play home games during the ban on Dec. 7 against the Buffalo Bills and Dec. 13 against the Washington Football Team.
"[This] will temporarily suspend activities that require direct physical contact or interaction in Santa Clara," James Williams, counsel for Santa Clara County, said. "So, that means that for those teams, they will not be able to play games or have practices where they have direct contact within the county."
The 49ers have not announced how they will handle the news. The NFL has dealt with numerous coronavirus setbacks throughout the season, including the postponement of a Thanksgiving game, earlier this week.
Stanford and San Jose State's football teams, as well as the NHL's San Jose Sharks, will also be affected by the new guidelines.
[Via]