Sports leagues across the country are taking measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently gripping the world, and the NFL is no different. The league has issued a memo to teams prohibiting in-person visits with prospects leading up to the draft, and several teams have pulled coaches and scouts off the road.
The Atlanta Falcons were among the teams that announced Thursday their decision to take their coaches and scouts off the road in an effort to better protect them from the virus. The organization has also closed several offices for deep cleanings over the weekend and is in communication with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on best practices to keep employees safe.
The Falcons have made the decision to close their offices until March 27 with the exception of essential personnel.
"That really went to some discussions we had, meeting all of the guidelines and just trying to be extra cautious with all of our facilities," Falcons President and CEO Rich McKay told AtlantaFalcons.com on Friday. "Arthur's family office is being deep cleaned today; we did the stadium yesterday afternoon and into today. We did Flowery Branch yesterday starting at 2 o'clock. All of the facilities we touch, our family businesses, we wanted to use that protocol of a deep clean and close.
"In that interim, we made the decision that we probably should stay shut based on CDC recommendations and all of the discussions we had with other teams, that we had with MLS, that maybe we were better off just saying we will stay shut until March 27, which is what we communicated with our associates today."
