Backstage Notes On Florida Strike Team Investigating WWE Locations As Possible COVID Hotspots
As previously reported, the WWE NXT Arena on the campus of Full Sail University, the WWE Performance Center, and the WWE ThunderDome at the Amway Arena are among 17 locations being investigated by the Strike Team of the Orange County Department of Health Strike Team regarding where COVID-19 might be spreading.
Wrestling Inc. learned that it is internally believed that several trainees from the Performance Center and / or NXT talent made formal complaints about daily operations and protocols not being followed. A few weeks ago a couple of people spoke up at an NXT taping about what they called "anti-maskers" not following guidelines outside of NXT and training classes, while potentially putting others at risk due to their actions.
It was mentioned that WWE wants everyone to be proactive in following protocols when it comes to attending large events and to be conscious about what they are posting on social media. Things such as pictures of talent being unmasked in large gatherings, especially indoors, that could lead one to believe that they were acting in an unsafe manner are all things the company wants talent to be aware of before posting.
It was noted that WWE can't control how talent live their lives outside of WWE. Should another Covid-19 outbreak affect WWE, they could "pause" having fans inside the Capitol Wrestling Center while continuing on with virtual fans and potentially trainees depending on the circumstances.
As noted, WWE recently issued the following statement regarding the pending investigations:
"WWE is not open to the public, but rather operating on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance. As part of on-going weekly testing protocols, Aventus Labs have administered more than 10,000 PCR tests to WWE performers, employees, production staff and crew resulting in only 1.5 percent positive cases as compared to the current national average of more than 5%. Additionally, extensive contact tracing takes place and impacted individuals are placed in 14-day quarantine and then only cleared after they test negative."