Covid-19 rules for fans at NFL stadiums: Masks, ticket 'pods,' bans or limits on tailgating

Representatives from the state and the Buffalo Bills haven’t announced whether fans can attend the team’s home playoff game next month but a sampling of how other NFL stadiums have opened up to fans amid the pandemic shows how it could be handled here.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo revealed last week the state Health Department is studying a plan from the team to allow up to 6,700 fans into Bills Stadium for a playoff game the weekend of Jan. 9. That’s about 9% of the stadium’s capacity of around 73,000.

The state views the proposal as a “demonstration project” with pre-game rapid Covid-19 testing of fans and postgame contact tracing that could serve as a model for other large events in the state in 2021.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has said the county would need to know a decision by the middle of this coming week.

The state’s review comes as the rate of Covid-19 spread in Western New York has leveled off following a surge of several weeks. As of Friday, the rolling, seven-day average positive test rate for this region was 6.16%, according to the latest state data.

That’s a slight uptick from a 6.01% average rate as of Thursday but well below the 7.4% peak for the month reached as recently as Dec. 5. The five-county region had boasted the highest average regional rate in the state earlier this month but as of Friday ranked sixth out of New York’s regions.

The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Western New York also has declined from earlier this month, falling to 467 patients as of Friday, the state reported. That’s the lowest such figure since Dec. 4.

To prepare to decide about in-stadium fan attendance, New York officials have studied how other NFL teams have handled bringing in fans. A review of some of the teams that have allowed fans to attend games shows some consistency in policies but wide variance in what capacity is acceptable.

Carolina Panthers

Fans weren’t allowed to attend the first Panthers home game at Bank of America Stadium, according to the Charlotte Observer.

But North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper later set a limit for large outdoor sporting events of 7% of capacity, or 5,240 fans in the 74,867-seat Bank of America Stadium.

That cap remained in effect for several home games before the team got permission to host 5,815 at its Nov. 15 home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by placing additional fans in its upper deck.

The Panthers enforce social distancing in restrooms, concession lines and elsewhere in the stadium; require masks unless fans are actively drinking or eating at their seats; ban cash transactions and close off communal dining and socializing spaces throughout the stadium; ask fans to use their designated entry gate; and assign seating for “pods” of ticket holders with every other row empty and with at least two seats to the right and left of each group empty as well.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are allowing 12,000 fans into 67,895-seat FirstEnergy Stadium, or just under 18% of its capacity, according to Cleveland.com.

The team began the season allowing a maximum of 6,000 fans per game, but that doubled in October.

Fans were allowed at a Dec. 14 Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens even though Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has imposed a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. statewide curfew following rising Covid-19 cases in the state. DeWine cited the importance of sports in boosting “morale” in granting the variance for Browns fans.

The Browns’ stadium rules include wearing face masks unless eating or drinking; purchasing tickets in pods of family members and friends; spacing out seats and zip-tying those that are unused; and patrolling the stands to make sure fans are wearing their masks. And the City of Cleveland has banned tailgating outside the stadium.

Dallas Cowboys

Texas is allowing fans to attend large sporting events, including Dallas Cowboys games at AT&T Stadium, at 50% of the stadium capacity. AT&T Stadium seats 80,000 but can hold up to 105,000 including standing room.

The Cowboys started the season capping attendance at 25% of capacity, but the team has raised that limit and has had crowds exceeding 30,000 fans at some home games, according to various media outlets.

Despite a losing record, the Cowboys have the highest total and per-game attendance by far for the 2020 season of any NFL team, ESPN reported.

The Cowboys don’t allow cash payments at the stadium; require masks; have assigned entry points with frictionless security scans and mobile-only tickets; and require tickets purchased in groups. Tailgating is allowed, but fans have to leave one parking space between each vehicle and can’t mingle with other groups.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are allowing 13,000 fans into 65,326-seat Hard Rock Stadium, or 20% of its capacity, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in October agreed to allow fans to attend sporting events at a venue’s full capacity. But the Dolphins have maintained their 13,000-fan limit as a precautionary measure.

In addition to some of the safety guidelines in place at other stadiums, the team bans tailgating and blocks off the first several rows of the stands to separate fans from players, coaches and staff on the sidelines.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers started the season with no fans for its first two home games at 68,400-seat Heinz Field, then ramped up from 4,708 to 5,909 fans at each of the next three games in October and November, according to the Steelers Now website.

Then, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf imposed further restrictions on attendance at sporting events with a maximum of 2,500 people at Heinz Field, or less than 4% of its capacity. With that cap in place, the Steelers limited attendance to 500 friends and relatives of players for each of two early December home games.

Now, per the latest order from Wolf, the team won’t host any fans at all for its final home game of the season on Sunday. But the Steelers hope to have fans at any home playoff games.