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How are the Carolina Panthers practicing social distancing at training camp?

Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule said players have tracers to make sure they're staying far enough away from each other.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Training camp is different in the Fall of 2020 for NFL teams across the country. Safety measures are in place to prevent coaches and players from the coronavirus.

Carolina Panthers players said they're wearing tracers around their necks to make sure they're far enough away from one another. 

Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson said it lights up red when you're too close to someone.

"We don't even let the monitors tell us," Jackson said. "Everybody wants to play this year, so we all have been wearing our masks, staying away, and keeping our distance. There's been some adjusting."

After a full week into training camp, Rhule said the team has been taking the safety protocols seriously, but they can't stay away from each other at all times.

"We have some red, but it's a great reminder," Rhule said. "What you think is 6 feet, is usually about 4 feet. I tell our guys 8 is the new 6, just get apart, spread apart, put a mask on and I think our guys are doing a really good job at that. Football is a game where we're going to be close. We're going to get near each other. We want to keep 6 feet apart as much as we can, as often as we can, and just not for more than 15 minutes at a time. The trackers do 2 things. If someone gets sick, instead of quarantining the whole building, we can go back and see who was close to that person."

Rhule said the other purpose of the tracer is to look at data and find out where players are spending more than 15 minutes together.

"It's not happening on the football field, the football field is one of the safest places in terms of that," Rhule said.

He said players are spending more time at lunch together or meetings.

The Carolina Panthers have no positive coronavirus cases.

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