Patriots reportedly advise coaches and scouts not to fly, encourage employees to work from home amid Coronavirus concerns

The New England Patriots have started to take precautions in response to the new Coronavirus: according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the team has told members of its coaching staff and scouting department not to fly and also encouraged them to work from home “for the time being.” The Patriots have therefore joined a vast group of teams to react to the virus, even though the NFL has yet to announce any uniform measures.

On Thursday, clubs around the league already began instructing non-essential staff members to work remotely, while restricted travel for coaches and scouts during college pro day season. Numerous colleges, including Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers and Alabama, have either postponed or cancelled their workouts amid the ongoing concerns about the well-being of players and staff members in light of the virus also referred to as COVID-19.

New England joined the group of teams altering its travel plans on Friday, even though the team has yet to release an official statement on the matter or take any additional steps.

That being said, acting swiftly and cautiously is the correct response in this situation considering how fast the Coronavirus is spreading and how personal interaction is enough to carry it from one place to another and allow it to spread between people. This was also pointed out by CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday.

“Being in close contact with somebody, especially somebody you don’t know... it’s a different time right now,” Dr. Gupta said when speaking about close human contact in the times of COVID-19. “I think what I’m really struck by is that never before, and I have been doing this for a long time, have I found a situation where how I behave so dramatically impacts your health. And how you behave, so dramatically impacts my health.”