Any hopes by San Francisco 49ers players to get on the practice field anytime soon have seemingly been dashed. Health officials in six Bay Area counties, including Santa Clara Country, said Monday that stay-at-home orders would likely be extended until the end of May amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
That means any potential first on-field team activities cannot occur until June, at the earliest, and it remains likely that they will not happen until after that.
NFL Network has repeatedly stated that, according to league plans, until all NFL team facilities are allowed to open, no NFL team facility will do so. That will level the playing field across the league and won't give any team within a more lenient area an unfair advantage.
"The orders, which regional health officials are collaborating on, have not yet been released," writes Dominic Fracassa of The Chronicle. "Monday's announcement, which amounts to a notice of the forthcoming orders, did not specify what activities will be permitted nor when the new mandates would take effect.
"The current orders for the six counties and Berkeley were set to expire May 3. The first mandatory shelter-in-place orders, requiring some 7 million Bay Area residents to stay home for all but the most essential errands, took effect March 17."
Offseason programs will likely continue but are expected to be conducted virtually using video conference software and other similar methods. It could be limited to teaching and playbook installation, with any on-field activities, for obvious reasons, being prohibited.
Click here to read the entire report from the San Francisco Chronicle, which will be updated as more news becomes available.
H/t to Bret Rumbeck for the find.
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