WWE is at the center of an investigation from the Orange County Department of Health in Florida as a potential COVID-19 hotspot.
WFTV reports that WWE and the venues it has been operating in (Full Sail, WWE Performance Center, Amway Center) as places where COVID-19 could be spread. Health Officer Dr. Raul Pino sent a list of bars to Orange County’s Strike team for further investigation because he said people who have tested positive are mentioning these locations more than others as places where they might have been infected.
Several bars in the area have been the subject of the investigations with other businesses such as Amazon, Crunch Fitness and WWE being investigated.
WWE sent the following statement regarding the report:
“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.”
Jon Alba reported that WWE is unlikely to face any repercussions because of this, but not out of the realm of possibility.
A government source tells me it is unlikely #WWE will actually face any repercussions because of this, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. I was told it’s more likely to resemble a “check up.” It is worth noting #WWENXT recently started allowing outsiders into the PC.
— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) October 20, 2020
The promotion has had people test positive for COVID-19 in recent months such as Renee Young, prior to her departure in August, and Kayla Braxton. As reported by Fightful Select in September, there were several positive tests in NXT the week of September 9 with many recruits testing positive. Several classes at the PC ended up being canceled, though some "essential coaches" were said to have remained.
The Amway Center has been the home of WWE's ThunderDome where Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-views have been televised since August. The Performance Center served that role prior to WWE moving to the Amway Center and Full Sail has been where NXT has been taped.
Fightful reached out to WWE for further comment and will keep you updated on this matter.
