Minnesota men's basketball program pauses activities due to COVID-19

The Minnesota Golden Gophers cannot stay clear of COVID-19 cases within their basketball programs. 

The Minnesota men's basketball team announced on Tuesday that it is temporarily pausing activities due to at least one positive test. Marcus Fuller of the Star Tribune is reporting that multiple members of the school's men’s and women’s basketball teams have tested positive for the virus. 

The women's team paused workouts last week but returned to practice on Friday. 

"The University of Minnesota men's basketball team recently paused its workouts and practices due to COVID-19," Minnesota spokesman Karl Anderson said in a statement shared by Myron Medcalf of ESPN. "The team will resume activities once it is cleared to do so."

Players, coaches, and other personnel who either test positive or have frequent contact with infected individuals are to quarantine for 14 days. Student-athletes must test negative for the virus and be cleared by a physician before they're allowed to return to team activities. 

Minnesota opens the season versus the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix on Nov. 25. 

Earlier in the day, the Duke Blue Devils confirmed that fans won't be welcomed to Cameron Indoor Stadium for men's and women's games because of the health crisis. Three Southeastern Conference football games and a contest between Navy and Memphis all scheduled for Saturday have been postponed due to coronavirus-related issues.