NFL: COVID-19 News
Although COVID-19 has not been eradicated yet, Super Bowl LV is set to take place on February 7th and will feature a crowd of 22,000 NFL fans, making this one of the largest gatherings in the United States in almost a year, since the first round of lockdowns began.
Super Bowl LV will take place from Raymond James Stadium, an outdoor stadium and the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so the decision to let a relatively large portion of spectators in is more understandable than it would have been to allow the same number of spectators into a dome.
Super Bowl COVID-19 restrictions
Spectators will be socially distanced in the stands and in lines for restrooms and concession stands around the venue. There will be sanitizing stations for people to disinfect their hands, and temperatures will be screened upon entry, with anyone showing signs of a fever being turned away.
Entrants will also be given personal COVID-19 sanitization packs, containing items such as KN95 masks and bottles of hand sanitizer. Of the 22,000 spectators, 7,500 of them are healthcare workers who have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while the rest of the tickets were sold to the general public.
22,000 is less than half of the capacity of Raymond James Stadium, and a record low number of spectators for any Super Bowl, which are usually among the most attended events in the United States.
Tampa, where Super Bowl LV is being held, is a large city in Florida, a state that has largely played fast and loose with COVID-19 restrictions. Florida's COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalization rates have remained high, as bars, restaurants, and other businesses have been allowed to serve patrons for months now.
Florida teams also were among the first in the nation to allow fans to return to stadiums and arenas, except in cases where local governments shut the idea down, or the governing body of the sport hosting the event nixed that option.
Super Bowl LV will take place on February 7th, live on CBS.