49ers Next 2 Games Moved To Arizona: Coronavirus

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Tough coronavirus rules issued by Santa Clara County over the weekend prohibit professional contact sports events, including San Francisco 49ers games played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. That left the team scrambling for a venue.

A solution was announced Monday morning, "The San Francisco 49ers have come to an agreement with the National Football League and Arizona Cardinals which allows the 49ers to host their Weeks 13 and 14 home games against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium in Arizona."

The new coronavirus guidelines were announced on Saturday following a record-breaking 760 new cases in a 24-hour period. The county has warned that it is less than two weeks away from hospitals being over capacity.

49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan said he was blindsided by the new order and was "extremely disappointed," upon learning the news before boarding a plane with the team to Los Angeles on Saturday.

"Everyone has been so committed to this, so the biggest thing for me is just all of us leaving our families," Shanahan said at a news conference following a 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

"We're all humans just like everyone else, and it's a big deal to leave your family for the whole month of December."

The team has still not announced where it will practice, but Shanahan said the team needs at least three full days before each game.

"Information regarding the 49ers future practice arrangements will be shared at the appropriate time," 49er officials said.

The county banned contact sports until at least Dec. 21.

— Patch editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this story