Super Bowl Stadium Tackles Pandemic Safety Measures

When football fans watch the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday evening at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, they will do so amid various pandemic safety precautions. 2021 Super Bowl will be the first with COVID-19 safety protocols in place for both players and fans, Miami Herald reports.

The NFL announced this week that there will be 25,000 fans in attendance—including 7,500 vaccinated health care workers—with 30,000 virtual two-dimensional fan cutouts occupying the rest of the seats. The stadium’s capacity is 65,890.

“We are very confident in what we’re doing here,” said Jon Barker, NFL head of live event production. “Making sure that we have physical distancing, making sure that we are watching our vertical movements. Every fan, every guest, every person working at the stadium when they arrive will receive a KN95 mask, bacterial wipes, hand wipes, hand sanitizer, and a safety [instructions] card. And everybody will be in masks.”

Other precautions include a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the stadium and a check of the air filtration system.

Similar precautions are being followed for the Super Bowl experience —an interactive fan attraction held in downtown Tampa from January 29 through Saturday, February 6. Cleaning and staging for the event are being handled by Renew Construction Services, a Tampa-based, minority- and woman-owned cleaning company. Owner Robyn Donaldson was awarded the US$120,000 contract through the Super Bowl 55 Business Connect program, which connects minority-owned businesses in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties to professional development, networking and contract opportunities.

Donaldson told the Tampa Bay News that due to the coronavirus she was able to transition her construction cleaning and custodial firm to specialize in sanitation measures in East Tampa communities. In addition to the NFL contract, Donaldson was also able to obtain $80,000 in contracts for cleaning up after mansion parties and providing staff to man booths set up at hotels to sell NFL merchandise.

Even fans who are not at the stadium or the downtown Tampa attraction are being urged to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines on Super Bowl Sunday, so it will not become a super spreader event.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines for large gatherings to include the Super Bowl. They recommend the safest way to celebrate is at home with people living in the same household or virtually with other relatives and friends.

The CDC recommends the following tips for facilities and members of the public hosting Super Bowl gatherings:

• Keep gatherings small and outdoors, if possible, or in well-ventilated indoor spaces
• Avoid crowded and congested areas where you can’t stay 6 feet apart
• Wear your mask at all times
• Avoid touching your mask, nose, and mouth
• Wash your hands often or using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Avoid chanting or cheering. Instead, stomp, clap, or bring hand-held noisemakers.
• Limit alcohol consumption. Consuming alcohol may make individuals less likely to follow COVID-19 safety measures.