County officials said it would be "dangerous" to let 49ers fans in to Levi's StadiumGETTY IMAGES
Santa Clara County health officials "slammed the brakes" on the 49ers resuming selling tickets on a limited basis after California announced that "limited capacity would be allowed for outdoor professional sports," according to Simmons & Lerseth of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The Santa Clara County Public Health Department yesterday in a statement said, "Audiences at professional sporting events will not be allowed anytime soon in Santa Clara County." Simmons & Lerseth note the statement came "roughly an hour after the state's announcement." There are "numerous restrictions in the state's proposal," and the number of fans allowed into a stadium "would be limited based on the county's coronavirus health status." A county in the "'orange' tier may sell to 20% of capacity," while one in the "'yellow' tier can go to 25% of capacity." Santa Clara County is an "orange" tier county, and with Levi’s Stadium's capacity at 68,500, the 20% restriction would mean the 49ers "would be able to sell 13,700 tickets." In addition to "limiting the number of people allowed in," tickets "would be sold only to customers within a 120-mile radius of the stadium." The 49ers have "already played half of their eight-game home schedule" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/21).
TOO MUCH, TOO SOON: Santa Clara County Exec Dr. Jeff Smith said that it "would be 'dangerous' to open stadiums." Smith: "This is the worst thing in the world to be doing. At a time when California is beginning to see some light, this amounts to another step backward. We've already done steps backwards in California that have cost tens of thousands of lives and this is another risk to do this." In San Jose, Kerry Crowley notes the county's statement came "after the 49ers had praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom for loosening the restrictions." The state guidelines "do not apply" to the Sharks and Warriors because they play in indoor arenas. But the directive "could create a framework" for the Giants and A's when they open the '21 season next spring. It is "unclear if the state will allow fans at collegiate sporting events" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 10/21).
COUNTY SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS: In S.F., Scott Ostler notes some fans were "not happy about the county's decision." Ostler: "My take: Bless you, Santa Clara County." In dealing with the pandemic, the shutdowns and safety measures, Santa Clara County officials "seem to be on the more cautious end of the spectrum." Ostler: "I have no clear indication of how the 49ers' ownership and management feels about the county’s no-fans directive. A guess: The 49ers would prefer to follow the state guidelines if they could." They "could use the money, and the cheering." This "could be another tiff between the city/county and the team." But even with 13,700 fans, social distancing "would be problematic." Ostler: "Anyone who disagrees probably has not been to a lightly attended 49ers game during the losing years, when there was still plenty of shoulder-rubbing and air-sharing in restrooms and in beer lines" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/21).
FANS NOT EXPECTED BACK IN L.A.: In California, Elliott Teaford writes "don’t expect to watch your favorite teams playing in person at SoFi Stadium, Banc of California Stadium or Dignity Health Sports Park any time soon." L.A. County "must drop two tiers into the orange or moderate category on the state’s coronavirus watch list in order to allow 20% of capacity" or "fall further into the yellow or minimal tier to welcome 25% of capacity." The county is "currently in the state's purple or widespread category." Purple and red are the "highest, based on the coronavirus case rate and the positivity rate of tests in a particular county." Compounding matters for the Rams and Chargers at SoFi Stadium is the question of whether the new $5B stadium in Inglewood is "actually an outdoor venue." The official SoFi Stadium website refers to it as an "indoor-outdoor stadium," which "might need clarifying by health officials" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 10/21).
