Fauci said full NBA arenas in July near the scheduled end of the playoffs would be "cutting it close"NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he thinks it is "possible" NFL stadiums could be at full capacity next fall due to vaccines being available, according to Henry Bushnell of YAHOO SPORTS. He said that unrestricted capacities at sports stadiums "will be among 'the last thing(s) that you're gonna see' as the United States pushes toward the end of the pandemic in 2021." Fauci did say that it is "unlikely NBA teams can host full-capacity crowds during the 2020-21 season." Fauci noted by the time the general public will be getting vaccines, the "people who'll be going to the basketball games, who don't have any underlying conditions, that's gonna be starting the end of April, May, June. So it probably will be well into the end of the summer before you can really feel comfortable." On whether the U.S. might have full, 20,000-seat NBA arenas in July, when the postseason is tentatively scheduled to conclude, Fauci said, "That'll be cutting it close." Bushnell noted the reopening of sporting events and other large gatherings "will therefore be gradual." Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said, "It will be a continued dial-back, hopefully, on things like capacities." COVID-adjusted stadium capacities, in most cases, "will depend on city, county and state governments, which have the authority to limit gathering sizes" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/30).
