Gators confirm 11 athletes tested positive for COVID-19

The Florida Gators have had 11 athletes test positive for COVID-19 since April.

The school confirmed the news after Sports Illustrated reported the number Tuesday morning.

“Dating back to April, we’ve had a total of 11 student-athletes from several of our teams test positive,” UF spokesman Steve McClain said. “As we’ve said before, we will have positive tests and with guidance from UF health, we feel we are well-positioned to manage those cases.”

Athletes began returning to campus in waves earlier this month, with football players participating in voluntary individual workouts. The athletes returning were tested for COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, upon arrival as part of the physical exams administered by the department.

Those who test positive will be quarantined and retested.

UF associate athletics director of sports health Stacey Higgins said no Florida football players had tested positive for COVID-19 when she spoke with reporters via a video conference session with reporters on June 9, but she expected that to change as more athletes arrived on campus.

“That is something we’re definitely going to have to be ready to deal with,” Higgins said. “We’re going to live with COVID, for sure.”

When Florida kicked off its voluntary workouts, 87 football players returning for on-campus workouts were tested with 80 coming up negative for the virus with seven tests pending.

At the time, two UF athletes — including one in April and one that was not in Gainesville — had tested positive for COVID-19.

“We’re fully prepared that we’re going to have a positive and we’re going to have to isolate that individual and also go through the state department of healthy tracing program,” Higgins said. “If it gets to be too many, that’s where the UF health people will help us with that process.”

Florida State, UCF and USF have all reported positive COVID-19 cases among athletes in their football programs.