Some anti-maskers draw citations at Alamo Bowl
10 people ticketed, 7 others warned or ousted at game
Usually a University of Texas game would pull in thousands of Longhorns fans dressed in burnt orange, excitement building as they tailgate then screaming in the stands for their team.
But 2020 is not like any other year.
Fans attending the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night featuring UT vs. the University of Colorado Buffaloes were not packed in their seats next to each other like sardines. Coronavirus restrictions limited seating to 17 percent of the stadium’s capacity: a few more than 11,000 people, said Patricia Muzquiz Cantor, director of the city’s Convention and Sports Facilities department, which oversees the Alamodome.
They also had to stay at least 6 feet away from people not from their own household and wear masks.
It was that mask requirement that got some fans in trouble.
More than a dozen people in the stands repeatedly refused to wear their masks properly, and some not at all, according to city enforcement data. Ten were cited for violating the city’s emergency orders, and another seven were giving warnings or escorted from the building.
“Many patrons were understanding,” said Laura Mayes, the city’s assistant director of government and public affairs.
However, some attendees were “visibly upset,” she said.
The10peoplewhowere cited will have to pay a $250 fine each, Mayes said.
“Some of the individuals remained in the building after they were cited but complied with the mask requirements thereafter,” she added.
Before the pandemic, the stadium could fit up to 65,000 people.
The Longhorns secured a 55-23 win at this year’s Alamo Bowl. It was one of the handful of large events going on this month. It’s a glimpse of normalcy, but the only way they can continue as the virus continues to surge in the community is if attendees stick to the mask and social distancing requirements, officials say.
“Fans were warned,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Wednesday. “Our enforcement team did what they said they would. The focus was to ensure a safe environment for people attending.”
The city’s emergency declaration requires that all employees, customers and visitors at a business wear a face mask if social distancing is not feasible. Businesses also must display a list of coronavirus symptomsat its entrance and the rules required by the emergency order in a prominent place.
The order requires anyone older than 10 to wear a face covering over
the nose and mouth in any public place — outdoor or indoor — when physical distancing is difficult, such as at a grocery store. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends anyone older than 2 wear a face mask.
As of Wednesday, code enforcement officers had issued 3,080 warnings and 346 citations for violations of the emergency orders — 143 of those for mask use, according to city data.
There have been more than 20,000 calls reporting violations since the city’s emergency order first went into effect March 18; in more than 17,000 of those cases, no violation was observed.
The city’s emergency orders have been updated several times — the most recent was Nov. 25, when the Thanksgiving Day curfew was implemented — but the mask and 6-foot social distance requirement has remained constant.
Multiple city departments — Code Enforcement, Parking Enforcement, Metro Health and the San Antonio Police Department — enforce the order.
To report a potential violation, call 210-207-7273.
Since reopening for events, the Alamodome hasn’t been a stranger to attendees who refuse to wear masks.
Photos and videos surfaced of many attendees at a Dec. 19 boxing match not wearing masks or keeping the proper social distance.
However, only one person was escorted from the stadium for not wanting to comply with the mask requirement, Muzquiz Cantor said.
The super-middleweight title fight between Canelo Alvarez and Callum Smith brought in 11,423 fans to the Alamodome.
During a Disney On Ice performance Nov. 22, an audience member received numerous warnings from on-site security aboutwearing a mask but persisted in not wearing one. The person was later identified and cited.
Other attendees at the performance who were not wearing their masks properly were told to adjust it and did so, avoiding a citation.