TAMPA, Fla. — Despite warnings from the CDC and Direct of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease’s Dr. Anthony Fauci, the NFL is moving forward with planning for Super Bowl LV in Tampa on February 7, 2021.

In a statement, the NFL's chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said, "We will continue to closely monitor developments, consult with leading experts and be prepared to make any changes necessary as circumstances warrant."


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Local planning is also underway for Super Bowl LV, including Tampa's airport, Sports Authority, hotels and other event venues.

Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission says, "Naturally if things were to come up or things were to change along the way, or needed to be changed along the way, we would do so. That's what we do as event planners. But right now the total focus has been on February 7th and we couldn't be more appreciative of the partnership we have with the NFL."

In an interview with NBC Sports, Fauci called football games the perfect breeding ground for a coronavirus outbreak, regardless of fans being present for games.

Fauci was asked if four players were to test positive, what action would be necessary. He responded you would have to "shut it down."

"You know why?  Because it is likely that if four of them are positive and they've been hanging around together, that the other ones that are negative are really positive", Fauci said.  "So, I mean, if you have one outlier, I think you might get away. But once you wind up having a situation where it looks like its spread within a team, you've got a real problem."

Meantime, Fauci who had "low risk contact" with a White House staffer who tested positive for COVID-19, said over the weekend  he will enter into a "modified quarantine".

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