Fans may return to local stands April 1
State recommendations have been shared with Crabs, HSU; masks still mandatory
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman this week shared the California Department of Public Health’s guidance on live performances can be implemented by sports organizations in the region after it goes into effect on April 1.
Responding to an inquiry from the Times-Standard on whether the county is working with adult sports organizations, such as the Humboldt Crabs and Humboldt
State University’s athletics department on possibly welcoming spectators to their outdoor stands, Hoffman on Tuesday said the state recommendations have been shared with these entities.
“Live performance guidance has been shared with those folks and we encourage them to see what is feasible with those guidelines and hope that we continue to improve with cases counts and get into less restrictive case counts which will allow for more reopenings,” Hoffman said.
As detailed in the CDPH guidance, posted to the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening framework on March 5, outdoor venues in counties in the most-restrictive Purple Tier may host up to 100 people. Venues in counties in the Red Tier can operate at a maximum 20 percent capacity, while Orange Tier venues can accommodate 33 percent of their capacity, or 67 percent if all guests can show proof of full vaccination or testing. The least restrictive Yellow Tier will allow for a maximum capacity of 67 percent regardless of attendee vaccination or testing status.
Masks will remain mandatory at venues regardless of tier level.
Answering to a separate ques
tion from the Times-Standard, Hoffman also said the state guidance may be extended to prep and youth sports.
“(The guidance) could be applied to many of these youth sports situations as well,” Hoffman pointed out. “We encourage anyone to use that (outdoor) performance guidance to guide how they might have spectators at these events.”
The Humboldt-Del Norte League previously announced its own set of spectators guidelines after its athletic directors’ meeting on Friday, March 12. The prep league’s guidelines include admitting only four members of a participant’s household, obligatory mask usage, strict venue entry times, social distancing and barring all food from the stands.
The county had previously recommended “ageappropriate supervision” by parents, guardians or other adults at prep and youth sports to keep competitors safe and make sure any injured athletes can be transported to receive medical services if required.
The April 1 implementation will allow schools to potentially receive more spectators during the final three weeks of scheduled football action.
Guidance for indoor spectators at sporting arenas and performance art venues is yet to be announced by California authorities.