More than 65,000 fans filled a Tampa stadium to see how Tom Brady led the Buccaneers to victory at the opening of the NFL season, just hours after President Joe Biden announced a new plan to slow the last climb of the COVID-19.
Most people in the outdoor stadium on Thursday night wore no masks. There was no vaccine requirement for fans, which Biden has urged sports and entertainment venues to impose. Many other football stadiums are taking a similarly lax approach to pandemic measures this fall, and this worries health experts.
The massive university and professional football stadiums this autumn could create mature conditions for the COVID-19 to spread among unvaccinated fans, experts say.
The risk of catching or passing a virus that has infected more than 40 million people in the United States will depend on where the stadium is located and whether the game is outdoors, among other factors.
WHAT RISK ARE THE STADIUMS?
It is difficult to predict how many cases of COVID-19 may develop from a single event. This depends in part on the rates of infection where the site is located and the number of people vaccinated.
The highly contagious delta variant has caused an increase in infections this summer that recently began to decline. According to Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day average of new daily cases in the U.S. stands at about 150,000 after starting in September above 167,000.
At these rates, it is “basically a certainty” that there will be at least one infected person at any meeting of a thousand people, said epidemiologist Ryan Demmer.
Many football stadiums have a capacity for 60,000 fans or more.
“At any kind of big event, like at a football stadium, there will be a lot of people infected,” said Demmer of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
HAS COVID-19 SPREAD IN OTHER EVENTS?
Yes. The Chicago Lollapalooza Music Festival attracted about 385,000 people in late July. Festival attendees had to demonstrate vaccination tests or negative tests. Nearly two weeks after the event, city officials reported 203 COVID-19 cases related to it.
In Wisconsin, health officials have said about 500 cases of coronavirus may be related to crowds who attended the Milwaukee Bucks games or gathered outside the arena (estimated at up to 100,000 a night) during the push. from the team to the NBA championship.
ARE THE PLACES TAKING MEASURES?
The NFL has no general policy on masks or vaccination status for fans. This creates a mosaic of guidelines that each of the 32 teams has developed.
The Las Vegas Raiders, for example, will require vaccination tests for all fans 12 years of age or older. The New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks will require fans to prove a vaccination test or a negative COVID-19 test.
Louisiana State University, a college football source, has a policy similar to that of the Saints.
Many teams ask fans to wear masks inside, but they don’t require them while they’re in the seats.
Football games are the latest events to resume with full stadiums or stages, after a summer of concerts, NBA playoff games and baseball.
DO OUTDOOR STAGES ELIMINATE RISK?
No, but they are considered safer because the air circulates better, which can hinder the ability of the airborne virus to spread.
That said, there are still “extremely high chances” that an unvaccinated and unmasked ventilator can kill COVID-19 if they sit next to an infected person for about three hours, even outdoors, said Demmer, the epidemiologist.
Most of the NFL’s 30 stadiums are outdoor spaces.
Four teams have closed roofs: the Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, and five have retractable roofs that can be opened or closed.
A stadium that opened last year in Los Angeles and hosts the Chargers and Rams has a panel-type roof and panels at each end that allow air to enter and exit.
WHAT PRECAUTIONS CAN FANS TAKE?
The biggest measure is to get completely vaccinated. Doctors say the shots do not eliminate the risk, but they do reduce it considerably, especially when it comes to developing a serious case that requires hospitalization.
“The delta variant is … much more contagious than if you have groups of people who are not vaccinated, they will be torn apart,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Wearing masks and hand sanitizer to the game is a good idea, said Dr. Sharon Wright, head of infection prevention at Beth Israel Lahey Health in Boston.
He noted that masks are not perfect, but they do offer some protection. They also prevent people from touching their face.
“A lot of people play a lot of things on the sports fields,” he noted.
Once fans get to their seat, they should try to stay there as long as possible to minimize contact with infected people, Demmer said.
“Don’t walk around the stadium,” he said. “Try not to stay on many concession lines.”
The epidemiologist said there is no doubt that the crowded stadiums this fall will cause more infections, but he also realizes that “we can’t live for the next five or ten years without having major meetings” because of the virus.
“I just wish everyone would get vaccinated and then we can go through it once and for all,” Demmer said.
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Murphy reported from Indianapolis. Associated Press writer Brady McCombs contributed to this Salt Lake City report.
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