Gators report three new cases of COVID-19

GAINESVILLE — The University of Florida athletic department reported three new positive cases of COVID-19 among the Gators football team, five days before a season-opening visit to Ole Miss.

Florida performed 514 tests on football players in September, yielding 10 cases.

Leading up to this month, no one in the football program had tested positive for the virus since mandatory workouts began July 14. During the past two weeks leading up to Tuesday’s batch of test results, UF has reported seven infected football players.

Ole Miss does not report cases of the virus within its football program, but 27 players missed a scrimmage earlier this month due to either an injury or positive

COVID-19 tests.

Last week, UF ceased lacrosse and baseball activities due to more extensive positive results within the programs. At the time, lacrosse had 31 COVID-19 cases, while baseball had 15.

The Sept. 19 season opener for women’s soccer team at Missouri was canceled following three positive three cases and multiple players placed in quarantine due to contact with infected teammates.

The school reported just an additional eight positive cases overall among athletes during this week’s round of testing data.

In all, UF athletes has had 76 new positive tests this month out of 2,008 overall tests, signaling a rise in infections among the school’s hundreds of athletes that coincided with the start of classes in Gainesville.