CA paves way for fans to attend
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. >> The era of cardboard cut-outs lining the stands at Bay Area ballparks is coming to an end. The California Department of Public Health has cleared the way for the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants to welcome back fans to the Coliseum and Oracle Park by Opening Day. Updates to the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” reopening framework made Friday will allow teams to host fans in their stadiums at limited capacities. Stadiums located in counties in the purple tier will have capacity restricted to 100 fans, while capacity will be limited to 20% of capacity in the red tier, 33% in the orange tier and 67% in the yellow tier. “We want to share this experience with the fans and in some ways, we feel like the game is not fully the game without our fans around,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said following the announcement. “It feels like we’re in a partnership with them and we feel like something is missing when they’re not in the stands.” Alameda County, which is home to the Coliseum, is currently in the state’s purple tier, but A’s president Dave Kaval said the organization has been assured Alameda will soon move into the
red tier. The change in tiers will take place prior to April 1, which is when the A’s are scheduled to open the 2021 season at home against the Houston Astros.
If both Alameda and San Francisco counties are in the red tier at the beginning of April, the Giants
will be permitted to host around 8,200 fans at Oracle Park while the A’s can have as many as 11,020 fans.
“We were working hand in hand with the governor’s office, Dr. (Mark) Ghaly, with the league and other California teams to identify a safe operating plan with fans in the current environment,” Kaval said. “We were very happy with the new protocols that allow
us to have fans starting with 20% in the red tier for Opening Day, which is a great way to welcome our fans home to the Coliseum.”
A statement released by the A’s said the team has cooperated with Alameda County officials and already received approval to begin hosting fans on Opening Day. The Giants have worked closely with San Francisco health officials since the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic to develop health and safety protocols at Oracle Park, but the team has not yet received local clearance to immediately plan for the return of fans.
The Giants said in a statement they “will submit our operational plans for review and approval by the local health officials and we eagerly look forward to safely welcoming fans back to Oracle Park.”