Vikings to wear contact tracing devices
Wow, this is such a good idea. Is it just the Vikings who are doing this?
When Minnesota Vikings players, coaches and other team employees return to TCO Performance Center for training camp this month, individuals will be given a proximity tracking device upon entering the facility to aid with contact tracing efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eric Sugarman, Minnesota's head athletic trainer and infection control officer, told Twin Cities reporters that the team will have a contact tracing system for everyone with a Tier 1, 2 and 3 designation to monitor the interaction these individuals have with each other inside the facility.
The contact tracing system is specifically for those in the internal tiers and will not include media in Tier 2M or 3OA.
While individuals in Tier 1 (players, coaches, trainers, physicians, equipment and strength and conditioning staff) and Tier 2 (ownership representatives, general managers, operations, football administration, communications, video and security staff) are allowed to comingle, those with a Tier 3 designation (cleaning service providers, in-house media, broadcast personnel, field maintenance, transportation providers) cannot intermix with anyone in Tier 1 and 2.
"Tier 1 and Tier 2 will be with each other," Sugarman said. "Tier 3 will be the individuals that will not be able to intermix with Tier 1 and Tier 2, and if you come within six feet of those people your buzzer will make an alarm sound. If you come within 10 feet, it's supposed to make a light or vibrate. I haven't seen the device yet. I haven't had one on my wrist yet, so I don't know exactly. But that, in the training, is what was described."
The NFL has mandated that clubs assign three "COVID Protocol Coordinators" to manage testing, screening, contact tracing and enforce protocols.
“A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't." - Tom Waits
Sports helped close down things because of the concerns in March, maybe this will help others learn from their example for tracing.
What does this device do when a player like Golden Tate gets very near the wife of a teammate? Just buzz lightly? Or vibrate intensely??
There are a lot of personal privacy issues around this, especially if you start extending it outside a single place of business, and maybe even when doing that..
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