Be cautious in Super Bowl celebrations, officials advise

With the postholiday surge in coronavirus cases diminishing and outdoor dining returning, health experts are asking sports — and party — fans to avoid holding or attending Super Bowl extravaganzas to avoid a postgame rise in cases.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs face off next Sunday in Super Bowl LV with a limited number of fans — 22,000 — allowed into Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay. Health officials nationwide are concerned about the people viewing the game away from the stadium — at house parties, backyard barbecues and sports bars and restaurants. Alameda County health officials issued a warning calling on football fans to hold the line and not gather with any more than three households and “to avoid Super Bowl parties and similar activities.” Any gatherings with other households should be socially distanced, out of doors and involve wearing masks.

“We may be past the winter surge, but COVID19 is still with us,” the Alameda County Health Services Agency said in a tweet.

George Lemp, a retired University of California epidemiologist, echoed the warning for Super Bowl parties.

“If you have people congregating indoors for a length of time and they’re not wearing masks and they’re mixing families, then there’s always the potential for transmission,” he told The Chronicle. “That’s always a concern.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested fans hold virtual Super Bowl parties, festooning their homes in the colors and logos of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Kansas City Chiefs — or both — and preparing the traditional chicken wings, barbecue and that special dip. But instead of inviting over friends, the

CDC advises sharing the recipes and setting up a text group or a video feed so you can cheer or curse your team together while safely staying with your own household.

If you must invite others over, the health experts advise, keep the group small, set up a projection TV, show the game on a big screen — ideally outside — and make sure people not from the same household are seated at least 6 feet away from each other.

In Los Angeles County, where the coronavirus continues to rage, health officials are taking a different approach. While they’ve allowed restaurants to reopen outdoor dining, with half of normal capacity, they’re prohibiting television sets, partly in an attempt to keep sports fans from clustering close together, yelling and cheering and potentially spreading the virus.

“We really do need to be cautious as we move forward, given we have a major sporting event, the Super Bowl, nearing, L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis told the Los Angeles Times.

A year ago, the San Francisco 49ers played in the Super Bowl, blowing a fourthquarter lead and forcing parade planners to cancel their victory celebration. That may have prevented many coronavirus cases and saved lives, health officials said months later, by preventing a million people from gathering in a crushing crowd and spreading the virus at a time few people were taking precautions.

The CDC issued a new nationwide order late Friday requiring passengers to wear masks while inside airports, aboard airlines and while riding public transportation, including trains, ferries and taxis or ride companies. Bay Area counties and California have had similar orders in place for many months.

“We may be past the winter surge, but COVID19 is still with us.” Alameda County Health Services Agency tweet