BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns organization has halted all operations due to COVID-19 testing irregularities Sunday.
Officials with the National Football League received " several positive tests from each of the clubs services by the same laboratory in New Jersey," during Saturday's daily COVID-19 testing.
One of the clubs impacted is the Cleveland Browns. In response to the news, a spokesperson with the organization responded saying, "out of an abundance of caution, we will immediately follow our comprehensive Infectious Disease Emergency Response plan and pause any activity in our building today and conduct meetings virtually."
The tests indicate multiple presumptive positive cases that include players, coaches and support staff, according to a press release.
The NFL is working with the lab to either confirm or rule out the results, but in the meantime, teams are taking immediate precautionary measures.
Since the Browns returned to camp in July, the team has seen consistent "encouraging results," according to the statement.
As outlined in their Infectious Disease Emergency Response plan, the team is reviewing data for contact tracing and implementing self-isolation practices for those who have tested positive. According to the organization, all team members remain asymptomatic at this time. The facility is also undergoing a thorough deep-cleaning and disinfecting process.
Those that tested positive within the Browns organization were re-tested Sunday and the results came back negative.
“We’ve concluded our re-testing of each initial presumptive positive result from yesterday among players, coaches and staff. All have come back as negative, which is consistent with the irregularities across the league from multiple teams. As a result, we are reopening our building and will resume football activities this afternoon. As per protocol, the individuals with test results in question may not re-enter the building until they receive another negative test result tomorrow.”