Three weeks ago the sky was falling in Gainesville. Now, it seems like the Florida Gators have gotten a handle on their COVID-19.
Florida updated their COVID-19 testing numbers on Tuesday afternoon and reported that there have been no new positive tests in November. Now, that sentence and way of reporting seems questionable, given that the number is reported on the third day of November, meaning there were only two days of testing, but looking at the total number of positive cases the football program has had since returning to campus in May, the total number of cases hasn’t changed.
Since Football Student-Athletes Returned to Campus on May 26
Total Tests on Campus: 2,971
Total Positives on Campus: 68
Total Tests for November: 50
Total Positives for November: 0
Additionally, Florida had 37 cases among football student-athletes in the month of October. SEC COVID-19 guidelines stipulate that once someone has tested positive for the virus and subsequently gotten over the virus they need not be tested again for 90 days. That timeline would mean that at least 37 players on the Gators’ roster won’t be tested again this season.
This is all good news for a Florida team that played without multiple starters in the secondary last weekend against Missouri. Florida is set to play No. 5 Georgia this Saturday and there are major SEC East implications.
“We want to be a championship football team and whoever wins this game is going to have the inside track towards being there,” Dan Mullen said on a Zoom call Tuesday. “And that’s what you’re competing for in this game, is that opportunity to put yourself in the driver’s seat to go out and win a championship. Those are the opportunities you want to be in, is competing for championships as the season goes on.”