Ben Margot / Associated Press
Fans attending NFL games will need to wear masks in stadiums this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
League spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed the move on Wednesday:
Brian McCarthy @ @NFLprguy
For those of you wondering, yes, it covers the entire league: NFL game fans this season should wear face covers https://t.co/D139KGKQ4r
Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan reported July 1 that Cathy Lanier, NFL vice president of safety, was part of a group working on recommendations to limit the spread of the coronavirus in games. Mandatory masks were referred to as a possibility.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found use of cloth masks could help delay the spread of the pandemic.
Many will argue that it would be a mistake to let fans into stadiums, even with a mask and established social distancing guidelines. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 went up to start the summer after states relaxed their coronavirus-related restrictions.
The NBA, WNBA, MLS and NWSL moved their operations to a neutral site to host fan-free games. MLB, meanwhile, will hold a 60-game season while banning fans from individual stadiums.
The NFL has yet to take a similar step, and Kaplan He reported June 23 that the league would allow individual teams to set their own capacity limits based on orders from state and local officials.
The Atlanta Falcons, for example, announced on Wednesday his plan to have up to 10,000 to 20,000 fans inside the Mercedes-Benz stadium by next season. The team Averaged 71,601 Fans for his eight home games in 2019.
Kaplan noted that NFL revenue could drop more than $ 3 billion if the league had a 16-game regular season plus the empty stadium playoffs.
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