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Rangers put Instructional League camp on lockdown, but avoid major COVID-19 outbreak

Two positive test results last week led to temporary halt in playing outside opponents.

The Rangers appear to have avoided a major outbreak of COVID-19 at their Instructional League camp in Surprise, Ariz.

The club had a pair of positive tests last week among the 60 minor leaguers and assorted staff attending the camp but was able to isolate and contain those cases. The Rangers canceled games for two days while doing further testing and isolating those with the virus until receiving negative test results. Everybody has since tested negative, GM Jon Daniels said. The camp has resumed normal operations.

“We’ve had a very similar code of conduct to what we had during the big-league season, where they’re not going out a whole lot and, obviously, we’re handling the food service,” Daniels said. “Regardless, we know it’s about mitigating risk; you can’t eliminate risk. We’ve done two rounds of testing since then. Thankfully, there are no signs of other infections at this point.”

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Daniels said neither individual who tested positive showed any symptoms consistent with the virus.

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The Rangers are housing all their players at their recently opened dorm, “Rangers Village,” which is adjacent to the Surprise campus. The residential building includes 36 two-bedroom apartments for players, plus separate housing for coaching and staff. After receiving the positive results, Daniels said, isolating those with the virus presented the biggest challenges.

“We’ve been able to spread out a little more at the village,” he said. “The guys who had roommates or guys who were in contact with those individuals have been isolated a longer period of time. But everyone else has been able to get back into games and performing.”

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The Rangers are playing opponents five days a week through Nov. 13 at the camp. They play Kansas City, which shares the Surprise campus, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Rangers do only in-house work on Thursdays and are off on Sundays.

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