Updated state guidelines would allow nearly 13,000 fans to attend games at Levi's StadiumGETTY IMAGES
Santa Clara County health officials are "on the hot seat after promptly rejecting new state rules allowing some fans to attend" outdoor sporting events such as 49ers games at Levi's Stadium, and the "continued fan ban didn’t sit well with some of the county’s elected leaders," according to John Woolfolk of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. Supervisors at Tuesday’s board meeting criticized the decision which came an "hour and a half after the state revised its stadium guidance," and "called the county executive’s announcement 'unconscionable and inappropriate.'" Santa Clara Supervisor Susan Ellenberg called it a "'rush' decision to keep fans out of outdoor stadiums." Santa Clara Supervisor Mike Wasserman "questioned whether that is any more dangerous than allowed activities like outdoor dining." But County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody "defended the decision not to go along" with the state's new rules, which she "told county board members Tuesday ... came as a 'surprise.'" Woolfolk notes the new state rules apply "only to counties with no more than moderate coronavirus outbreaks." 49ers President Al Guido yesterday in a interview on KNBR-AM said that the team "hopes to be able to work with the county supervisors and administration to find ways to safely host fans at upcoming games." With the state’s allowance for 20% capacity crowds in outdoor stadiums, some 13,000 fans "would be allowed to gather at Levi’s" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 10/22).
DISAPPOINTED IN DECISION: In S.F., Ann Killion notes 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is "disappointed with Santa Clara County’s decision." Shanahan said, "I understand the issues. I just hope eventually we can figure something out.” He "sees some inconsistencies with the ruling, pointing out that people are allowed to go to indoor restaurants, socially distanced, to watch 49ers games in Santa Clara County." Shanahan: “Hopefully, we can figure out a way to do that in our outdoor stadium” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/22).
