Brynn Anderson / Associated Press
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed President Joe Biden that each of the league’s stadiums can be used as a COVID-19 vaccination site.
Goodell wrote in a letter to Biden on Thursday:
“The NFL and our 32 member clubs are committed to doing our part to ensure that vaccines are as widely accessible as possible in our communities. To that end, each NFL team will make its stadium available for mass vaccination to the general public in coordination. with local, state and federal health officials. This is being done at seven NFL stadiums today. We can expand our efforts to stadiums across the country more effectively because many of our clubs have previously offered their facilities as COVID testing centers. , as well as election sites in the past few months. “
The NFL has 30 team stadiums in the United States.
Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, became the first NFL stadium used as a mass vaccination site on January 15.
The San Francisco 49ers announced on Friday that Levi’s Stadium will open next week as a vaccination site for Santa Clara County.
Sports stadiums and arenas were used during the pandemic for events that require many people to occupy a single location at the same time, including as polling places and COVID-19 test sites.
Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s vice president of communications, said last month that the league was encouraging teams “to contact their state and local health departments to offer stadiums and practice facilities, if possible, to serve as vaccination sites. the general public “.
Given the size of the NFL stadiums, people will be able to distance themselves socially properly without increasing the risk of potential exposure. Stadiums can also accommodate more people than a vaccination facility in a traditional hospital.