The Gophers football program reported 15 additional positive COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing its total to 40 over the past 10 days.
On Tuesday, the U had 15 total positive cases when they canceled Saturday’s rivalry game at Wisconsin and stopped all team-related activities. They added 10 more cases Wednesday, and the new 15 come over a three-day span since midweek.
Given this coronavirus outbreak, Minnesota’s next game against Northwestern on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium is doubtful.
Two precedents within the Big Ten back up this two-week timeframe for a stoppage. When Wisconsin had an outbreak, they had to cancel games in consecutive weeks on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. When Maryland had a spread, they canceled back-to-back games on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5.
Ohio State is also on the front-end of an outbreak, having to call off Saturday’s game against Illinois.
The U said its next update will be Tuesday.
The U said it is working with the Minnesota Department of Health on its positive cases and that the department is following state and federal health guidelines.
The Gophers said the total breaks down to 20 student-athletes and 20 staff members. The most-recent 15 includes eight players and seven staff.
The Gophers football team has 115 players on its roster, with dozens of staff members.