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Fan who attended Texans-Chiefs NFL opener tests positive for COVID-19

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A fan who attended the season-opening NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans has tested positive for COVID-19, the Kansas City Health Department announced Thursday.

After the fan tested positive the day after the game, which was held on Sept. 10, the health department and the Chiefs identified and contacted the 10 people who had close contact with the individual, and all of them have since been notified and told to quarantine.

In a statement, the Chiefs said the contact tracing mechanisms that the club has in place — which included parking and ticket scanning data — indicate that all involved were in compliance with mask mandates. The team also said Arrowhead Stadium’s COVID-19 plan limited potential exposure to a single seating zone within the stadium.

“I want to remind everyone that COVID-19 is anywhere and everywhere,” Kansas City health director Dr. Rex Archer said in a statement. “While we’re all tired of it, frustrated and even angry at how it has altered and stricken our lives and livelihoods, we must continue to think of those who have not and will not survive it.”

After an offseason in which on-field work during OTAs and all preseason games were canceled, the event was the first NFL game held this season, and the first to be played in front of fans.

The Chiefs, along with the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, were the only teams in the 32-team league to announce they would have fans in the stands for their season openers, and all decided to do so with decreased capacity.

Arrowhead Stadium, which typically holds approximately 76,000, drew an announced crowd of 15,895 to the game.

A silhouette of a fan clapping while football action takes place on the field.
A fan cheers during the Kansas City Chiefs' 34-20 win over the Houston Texans in the season-opening NFL game on Sept. 10, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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