Atlanta Falcons staff return to facility for first time since pandemic prompted lockdown

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (CBS46) -- Some members of the Atlanta Falcons staff returned to the office Tuesday after months away from the facility due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Today, our Flowery Branch facility opened for the first time in 67 days. Our President, Rich McKay, explains how our facility will look different moving forward. pic.twitter.com/eXUykDXKFH

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 19, 2020

The National Football League sent out a memo last week allowing facilities to open to 50 percent of their employees, but with no more than 75 employees allowed in the building. Additionally, the league said no coaches or players are allowed in the building, with the exception of those player who were rehabbing an injury before the start of the league's lockdown.

In the meantime, the Falcons players have been going through what the team has described a a virtual offseason program. The move to reopen the facility comes just one day after the Falcons' preseason schedule was announced.

If preseason games go forward, the Falcons will open the preseason against the Dolphins on August 14 before heading to Buffalo to battle the Bills on August 21. Atlanta then returns home for the key Week 3 preseason game against Cincinnati on August 28 and then closes out the preseason on September 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Still, with less than three months until the first preseason game, the NFL hasn't said when or if fans will be able to come back to stadiums to watch their favorite teams play.