Lions close practice facility after pair of positive COVID-19 tests

The Detroit Lions announced Tuesday morning that they've closed their practice facility following two members of the organization testing positive for the COVID-19 virus. 

"Earlier this morning, we were informed of two positive COVID-19 tests within our organization," the team said in a statement. "As a precaution, the team practice facility is currently closed and our players and coaches are conducting meetings remotely today. As we adhere to our Intensive Protocols and conduct contact tracing, we will continue to communicate closely with the NFL and its medical staff and gather more information."

The Lions are coming off a game in Nashville, one of the nation's hotspots for the virus. Over the weekend, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee addressed his state, requesting families don't gather with anyone outside their household during the holidays as the state's daily cases nears 10,000. 

Prior to Tuesday, the Lions already had one player on the COVID-19 reserve list. Defensive end Everson Griffen was placed on the list 10 days ago, the Saturday before the team played the Green Bay Packers. 

The Lions are scheduled to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Saturday, the day after Christmas.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers