Several states have allowed sports fans to enter venues during the pandemic, especially in outdoor stadiums for baseball and football. The Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday had about 25,000 participants, and Major League Baseball allowed fans to participate in the final playoff rounds in Arlington, Texas, last season.
However, outdoor sports have far more fans than indoor sports, largely because public health officials say it is easier to spread the virus indoors.
In the NBA, 11 of 30 teams are allowing a limited number of fans to watch the games, a change from last year when the league ended its fanless summer season at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida. Participation rules vary by state. New Orleans Pelicans is allowing fans to watch at 4% capacity, while Houston Rockets is 25%.
The Nets said on Wednesday that people who bought tickets would receive PCR tests in the mail, which could be sent for results overnight, while Barclays Center employees are already tested on the spot.
“We are very confident in our ability to do this safely. It is at the forefront of our concerns at all times, ”said John Abbamondi, chief executive of BSE Global, the parent company of the Nets and Barclays Center, in an interview. “We have a very large facility here and we are going to bring a very small percentage of our capacity. We will test not only all customers, but here at Nets, we will test all employees before each event. “
He added: “There is nothing in life without risk, but when you look at our building with 10 percent capacity, with everyone coming to take the test, compared to going to a restaurant or something, I think it is at least as safe, if not more secure, than that. ”
The Knicks and Rangers, both owned by James L. Dolan, said they intend to host about 2,000 fans in all games at Madison Square Garden from the Knicks game on February 23 against the Golden State Warriors and the Rangers against Boston Bruins three days later. It was not clear whether the arena received state approval to do so.