4 More Workers at Raiders' Allegiant Stadium Test Positive for Coronavirus

Four more people working on the Las Vegas Raiders' Allegiant Stadium construction project have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release from Mortenson-McCarthy (h/t Kaitlyn Olvera of 8NewsNow.com), bringing the total number of workers who have tested positive up to seven. 

Martenson-McCarthy, a contracting corporation running the project, noted the following in its statement:

"Since the onset of COVID-19, more than 4,000 craft workers and various trade partners and vendors have been on site and the project has experienced a total of seven confirmed positive cases to date.

"All cases were limited in contact with others on site pursuant to strict social distancing protocols in place. We continue to collaborate with local labor groups and take immediate precautions to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission."

The statement added that the company was instituting additional safety measures as of April 20.

Those include required face coverings for all workers and visitors, an "on-site permit process for project partners that details additional controls and safeguards for work completed on site," increased compliance monitoring of the safety measures put in place and certain projects being moved to night shifts.

The $2.5 billion stadium is scheduled to open this summer, though Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported earlier in April that the team has "contingency plans" in place should the project not be finished in time for the preseason:

"Before signing their final lease with the Oakland Coliseum last offseason, the Raiders investigated options that included playing games in Salt Lake City, Phoenix and San Diego, and it is realistic to think that all of those options could be resurrected. A person close to the situation, however, indicated that scenario remains the most unlikely and would only be triggered in an absolute worst-case scenario."

Bonsignore added that the stadium is currently on schedule to be ready to host two preseason games in August. If there are delays, the Raiders could also simply play their preseason games on the road, hoping to have the stadium set for September.

And it's possible that the NFL will push back the start of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic as well, which could render any delays a moot point. As of now, however, the primary concern for the organization and the NFL should be the safety of the workers attempting to complete the project.