The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns started during the first half of a preseason basketball game, Friday, December 18, 2020, in Phoenix, Arizona. (AP Photo / Matt York)
Phoenix Suns announced on Tuesday that it will allow fans with limited capacity to return to the Phoenix Suns Arena on Monday.
The first game with other participants will be on Sunday against the Boston Celtics, with Suns offering complimentary tickets to healthcare professionals. Monday’s home game will mark the first open to fans, with up to 1,500 fans with tickets allowed.
“With an exciting new era starting on the court and a virtually new building to play in, we are excited to welcome fans back to the Phoenix Suns Arena,” said Suns President and CEO Jason Rowley in a press release. “Our team has been working tirelessly with the NBA and health officials to ensure that the proper protocols are in place to keep everyone safe.”
The Suns decision meets the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control, the NBA and the Arizona Department of Health and Services. The organization has worked with several health experts to ensure a safe experience for fans.
Masks will be mandatory for fans at the entrance and at all times in the arena, outside eating and drinking. Social distance will be necessary, with markings across the arena for adequate spacing in concessions, bathrooms and more.
Other measures will be taken, including paperless ticketing and cashless payment methods.
Pre-sales for season ticket holders will start on Thursday, while tickets for a single game will go on sale on Friday.
COVID-19 cases have declined in the second half of January, after a large increase around the holidays.
Looking at the numbers of test cases on a specific day, that number dropped below 2,000 in Arizona from July 22 to November 11, including a run from August 5 to October 13, where it never reached 1,000, according to the Arizona Department of Health and Services. These numbers increased dramatically, reaching a November 23 record of almost 6,000.
These continued to rise until the peaks reached after Christmas, with 11,313 positive case tests on December 28 and 11,293 on January 4.
The seven-day average of cases on February 1 reached less than 5,000 for the first time since December 4, according to Garrett Archer of ABC 15.
Positive tests during the day still remain quite high and far from the minimums achieved during the summer. For the week of January 18, the seven-day average of positive cases was 5,578 on Tuesday, as new data still arrive.
With the number of positive tests in the past two months, deaths continue to reach new highs. At least 100 people died in Arizona from COVID-19 a day during the first 20 days of January, where recent deaths in the past few weeks will continue to be added.
Counting the 238 deaths reported on Tuesday, the last seven-day cycle had 914 deaths reported as the statewide vaccine launch progresses.