The Oakland Coliseum reportedly still won't host NFL games in 2020, even as the 49ers seek a temporary new home.
The Coliseum "is not a viable option" for the 49ers to play games following Santa Clara County's latest health order issued in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, The Athletic's Lindsay Jones reported Saturday, citing a source. The stadium has not had an NFL tenant since the Raiders relocated to Las Vegas earlier this year. The Raiders played their final game at the Coliseum on Dec. 15, 2019.
The 49ers aren't allowed to play or practice in Santa Clara for at least the next three weeks after the county barred all professional, collegiate and youth contact sports in revising Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody's risk reduction order. The changes are intended to prevent a surge in hospitalizations that would exceed hospital capacity, the county said Saturday. The 49ers have two home games during that time: Dec. 7 against the Buffalo Bills and Dec. 13 against the Washington Football Team. They are also scheduled to host the Seattle Seahawks in the regular-season finale on Jan. 3.
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A league source told NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan and Matt Maiocco on Saturday that the 49ers are only looking at locations outside of California to play games. Although Alameda County has not instituted a similar ban on contact sports, it joined Santa Clara County and four other Bay Area counties to issue the United States' first shelter-in-place order back in March.
Arizona and Texas are the 49ers' "best bet" to play games, a source told Chan and Maiocco, with the 49ers scheduled to play the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 20 and the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 27. Neither state has issued restrictions on contact sports nor any travel restrictions, and both have allowed fans to attend sporting events. Arizona's 83 percent increase in reported cases over the last two weeks is the nation's fifth-largest, according to NBC News reporting and state and county officials. Texas' (21 percent) is among the lowest, while California's (94 percent) is the second-largest.
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Case numbers are expected to climb in the coming weeks because of Thanksgiving travel and gatherings. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government's leading infectious disease expert, said Sunday on "Meet the Press" that public health officials expect to "see a surge superimposed" on the nation's current one. The NFL ordered all team facilities closed Monday and Tuesday with the "understanding understanding that a number of players and staff celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with out-of-town guests."
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers, as of this writing, currently have four players on their COVID-19 reserve list: Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, tight end Daniel Helm, defensive tackle D.J. Jones and defensive end Jordan Willis.