Californians will be able to return to outdoor sports stadiums and amusement parks, although in limited numbers, starting April 1, according to guidelines released by the state on Friday.
For baseball and soccer, the restrictions are 20 percent of normal capacity in counties in the red tier, 25 percent in the orange, and 67 percent in the yellow. Tickets will be sold only to residents of California, and only in “pods” of two or four seats separated from other groups. Fans must wear masks at all times, unless they’re eating or drinking. No vendors in the stands will be allowed, and stadium bars and food windows will be closed – concessions will be sold through an app and delivered, with minimal contact, to fans in seats.
Oakland Athletics President Dave Kaval says after a year with only cardboard cutouts and prerecorded stadium sound, the players are delighted to have even a limited number of live fans back.
“The excitement and energy that they bring is something that we realize now how much we’ve needed that," he said. "They want the energy that the crowd brings.”
Kaval has noticed a difference in the vibe during even the first few spring training games in Mesa, Arizona, where the A’s are testing out similar safety procedures. Ushers there are walking up and down the aisles with signs reminding fans to wear their masks.
Despite those precautions, an important part of the game-day experience is the usual routines, the seventh-inning stretch and singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game," Kaval says.
“I heard it today,” he said, “and even with masks on, it sounds great.”
The San Francisco Giants and soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes are also planning to host fans when their seasons start in April.
For outdoor amusement parks such as Great America and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the limits are 15 percent of capacity in the red tier, 25 percent in the orange, and 35 percent in the yellow. Only in-state visitors are allowed to buy tickets.
Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development Dee Dee Myers says the reopening is good news for a part of the economy that’s been suffering for more than a year now.
“We're confident that we'll continue to work with people across sectors and across businesses, to make sure that we can move forward safely, but also in a way that's practical, to get people back to work, and get people back to some semblance of their lives that everyone is so ready for,” she said.