Bay Area pro sports teams could soon reopen outdoor stadiums to fans

SANTA CLARA - California on Tuesday released guidelines for allowing professional sporting events to reopen, and fans might soon get the chance to cheer on their favorite teams in the Bay Area. 

According to California Health and Human Services Secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, professional sporting events at outdoor stadiums can reopen if counties reach the "Orange Tier," or moderate tier, or the "Yellow Tier," meaning the county has minimal transmission of COVID-19.

Once a county reaches the orange tier, outdoor professional sporting events can reopen at 20% capacity and if a county reaches the yellow tier, they can reopen at 25% capacity. But before teams can welcome back fans, county health leaders must first give their okay. 

The Bay Area is home to six major league sports teams and has several outdoor sporting facilities, all located in counties with moderate to minimal risk-levels for COVID-19.  

The San Francisco 49ers said in a statement that the team is eager to reopen doors to fans. 

When professional sporting events reopen, all attendees and staff will be required to wear a face-covering throughout the stadium unless eating or drinking. Concession stands will remain closed and eating and drinking must take place in a person's assigned seat. Tailgating is also prohibited.

The state also says that ticket sales must be restricted to customers within a 120-mile radius of the stadium, in order to discourage people out of state from traveling to games.

Tickets will be required to be sold in advance and no will-call ticket sales are permitted, Ghaly stated.