Titans, Vikings suspend in-person activities following the NFL's first reported COVID-19 outbreak

The Tennessee Titans have announced the suspension of in-person activities until Saturday after three players and five staffers from the organization tested positive for the coronavirus, ESPN reported.

The move reportedly means that no players or coaches will be allowed in the team's facilities until then.

Per NFL protocol, the Minnesota Vikings, who hosted the Titans in a matchup last Sunday in Minneapolis, also announced the suspension of in-person activities until further testing can be done. No players or staff from the Vikings organization have returned positive test results.

In a statement, the Titans organization said that it has shut down operations in cooperation with the NFL and "out of the abundance of caution."

The Titans noted that the organization is working to confirm the positive results. Reports have not indicated the names of the players and staff who tested positive.

The NFL said in a statement that it is working closely with both teams to "perform additional testing and monitor developments."

"All decisions will be made with health and safety as the primary consideration," the league added.

WSMV-TV reported that Titans linebacker Shane Bowen missed Sunday's game due to coronavirus, but it was not immediately clear whether he was one of the players who tested positive or whether he had simply come in contact with someone who had.

The Titans are scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and the Vikings are scheduled to travel to play the Houston Texans, but both games are reportedly subject to potential postponement.

Before the season, the NFL had a coronavirus testing scare in which 77 players from 11 teams returned false positive test results. But since then, the league has avoided widespread outbreak that would cause the postponement of activities.

According to ESPN, league protocol outlines that "players who test positive for COVID-19 and remain asymptomatic can return 10 days after the test or after five days with two consecutive negative tests within a five-day period. Those who show symptoms can return 10 days after the symptoms first appear and 72 hours have passed since any symptoms have ended."