Suns mull use of health-screen app for fans at arena
Oh they were definitely loud.
Had Deandre Ayton all fired up. “The fans did a great job,” Ayton said. “I haven’t heard that arena like that since I got drafted (in 2018). It was packed.”
Not quite, but the crowd of 5,110 was certainly roaring during Wednesday’s overtime win over Utah inside Phoenix Suns Arena.
“It sound like a full house,” he said. “I just really appreciate that out of them.”
The NBA has been having limited fans at its games outside of a bubble environment during the COVID-19 pandemic this season. The Suns raised their fan limit to “5,500-plus” starting with Wednesday’s game against the team with the NBA’s best record.
The NBA is expecting to have full arena capacity next season, ESPN reported Wednesday, as the league announced a partnership with CLEAR, a secure identity company, that will make CLEAR’s Health Pass technology “available to NBA teams for COVID-19 health screenings.”
The teachnology involves fans downloading an app and using it to verify health information by submitting information ahead of time. The app then can be used speed up entering the arena.
A Suns representative informed The Republic on Wednesday the franchise is “evaluating it as an option.”
Phoenix has nine more home games in this NBA-shortened, 72-game regular season with five coming in a homestand starting Saturday versus Washington. With the league’s second-best record, the Suns are expected to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010, which means they’d have postseason home games, as well as later this year.
A third of all NBA teams are using CLEAR’s Health Pass technology for their employee or fan safety protocols in-arena, the league announced. This can be a mix of health surveys and secure linking to COVID-19 lab results and vaccination records.
ESPN reported Atlanta, Orlando and San Antonio already are using the program.
“Trust and transparency are CLEAR’s number one priority, and with Health
Pass, our goal is to get people back to what they love while ensuring they are always in control of their health information,” said CLEAR CEO Caryn SeidmanBecker in a news release. “As states reopen sports venues to fans in the U.S., we are thrilled to team up with the NBA to help create safer fan experiences and reimagine the future of sports.”
With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming more and more available, the NBA is feeling even better about the idea of having full arena capacity next season.
The partnership with CLEAR strengthening that belief.
“CLEAR’s Health Pass is an innovative technology that can further enhance the league’s health and safety protocols at arenas and the well being of those who attend NBA games,” said NBA senior vice president of media and business development, Dan Rossomondo, in the news release. “We are grateful to CLEAR for their partnership and commitment to creating safe environments and experiences for our fans.”
CLEAR’s Health Pass is a free, mobile program that “securely connects a user’s verified identity to multiple layers of COVID-19-related health information – like test results – to help reduce public health risk and aid.”
With more than 50 organizations across the country using its Health Pass,
is further
CLEAR prides itself on “creating frictionless experiences in sports, including innovative pilots for touchless ticketing, biometric payments and age validation.”
The program enables fans to “securely
access and verify their health information prior to entering an arena.” CLEAR’s Health Pass will soon offer a person the ability to link his or her vaccination records to their Health Pass account.