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In the wake of Santa Clara County forcing the San Francisco 49ers to leave Levi Stadium with new COVID-19 restrictions, the NFL has had communications with its two Los Angeles franchises about protection against a forced passage to alternative gambling sites in the coming weeks, two league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The sources said the actions taken by the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams include troubleshooting potential training and stadium venues outside the state of California, similar to the 49ers’ sudden move from all of their locations. operations and home game dates in Arizona this week. Both teams are said to be considering backup plans that could include using another NFL facility in neighboring states. The sources said that planning by the franchises began quickly following the eviction of the 49ers from Santa Clara County, but it was also prompted by intensified COVID restrictions at the state and national levels. Los Angeles County.
“[NFL] operations may not be able to continue [in California] soon and considering where we are on the schedule, dramatic changes like the relocation of operations from the 49ers could encompass the rest of the season, ”said a source. “This could be the case for all teams [in California]. The situation is being watched and its impact on the rest of the season is a little fluid at the moment. But the best thing anyone can do is prepare for any eventuality. “
What LA County Restrictions Could Mean for Rams and Chargers
As viral infections recently escalated in California and hospitals came under greater pressure to respond, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued a statewide order increasing COVID restrictions. The ordinance would come into effect county by county and would be triggered by the intensive care bed capacity of each locality. If the locality has an ICU availability that decreases to less than 15 percent, the restrictions will go into effect for that county. Once in place, the order places stricter limits on travel, community events, and retail purchases. The new set of restrictions are expected to begin Saturday for eligible counties and last for at least three weeks after the restrictions are triggered. The mandate could also increase restrictions further in the coming weeks and possibly last until the end of 2020.
“The bottom line is that if we don’t act now our hospital system will be overwhelmed,” Newsom said at a press conference Thursday to announce the new set of restrictions. “If we don’t act now, we will continue to see our death rate rise [and have] no more lives lost. “
As it stands, Los Angeles County is not yet in the zone to implement the restrictions. However, the county’s infection and hospitalization rate is expected to eventually get it back under Newsom’s order – possibly as early as next week. This could jeopardize game day and the operations of the Chargers and Rams training facilities.
What the NFL doesn’t want is a repeat of the messy back-and-forth between the 49ers and Santa Clara County officials, which made headlines last week when the team suggested they had been blinded by an order banning contact sports for a period of at least three weeks. This sparked a thorny exchange between San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and Santa Clara County officials who said the team was being kept abreast of potential changes in COVID restrictions.
The Santa Clara County Order closed two home games for the 49ers and eventually forced the team to move all of its operations to Glendale, Ariz., Where the franchise will use the training grounds and stadium. of the Cardinals until at least December 21. With California’s tightening of COVID restrictions, San Francisco may also be forced to stay in Arizona for the final weeks of the regular season.
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