Vikings to Return to Team Facility Thursday After COVID-19 Testing Concerns

The Minnesota Vikings will return to team facilities Thursday after no players or staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

"We will return to the facility tomorrow as a team, and we will return with very enhanced protocols," Vikings vice president of sports medicine/head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman said. 

The Vikings closed their facilities Tuesday and Wednesday out of caution after three players and five staff members of the Tennessee Titans, their Week 3 opponent, tested positive for the coronavirus. Minnesota players and staff underwent testing to ensure the virus did not spread during Sunday's game.

One additional Titans player was positive for the virus after another round of testing, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Tennessee's Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers will be rescheduled for Monday or Tuesday.

The Vikings will play on the road against the Houston Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium. It's unlikely their game will be moved from its scheduled slot unless additional testing later in the week reveals Minnesota players or staff have tested positive.

The NFL has been maintaining a daily testing schedule throughout the 2020 season in order to mitigate any potential spread of the virus and identify any presence of it as soon as possible. Before the Titans' outbreak, the league had been successful in its efforts. Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell was the only player to be placed on the reserve/COVID list in the first three weeks of the regular season.