NFL reserves a third of Super Bowl seats in Tampa for health-care workers
The NFL has reserved one-third of its seats at the Super Bowl for health care workers who have received the Covid-19 vaccine. Crews are working around the clock to get the stadium ready before this week's Super Bowl. Shepard Smith reports. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi The National Football League is bracing for the final contest of the season with Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay, and the league is promising that the event won’t turn into a Covid-19 superspreader. The NFL said it will distribute kits including hand sanitizers and KN95 masks to fans at Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs-Tampa Bay Buccaneers to help limit any spread. NFL executive Jeff Miller said mask-wearing will be mandatory for fans, players and team staff, and the league will enforce social-distancing measures. The NFL said attendance in 65,000-seat Raymond James Stadium will be limited to 25,000, including 7,500 vaccinated health workers. “It’s been a lot of work by a lot of people and a lot of engagement with local, state, and national health officials to do this as safely as can be done,” said Miller, who oversees the NFL’s public and policy affairs. Health and safety experts who spoke with CNBC approved of the way the NFL is coordinating its event, but they still raised issues. “My biggest concern for when Covid-19 might spread at the stadium is not necessarily when people are sitting in their seats,” said Stephen Kissler, an epidemiologist at Harvard University. “It’s actually when they are mixing in other parts of the stadium.” Kissler, a researcher in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, said people gathering in lines to enter the stadium or waiting for concessions are more likely to spread droplets containing the virus. To combat this, the NFL says it has customized entry points, making them larger for fans attending, though it will not offer temperature checks at the gates. The NFL is also selling Super Bowl tickets in groups of two to six people so they can sit together in “pods.” Jonathan Barker, the NFL’s head of live event production, said the pods aren’t placed too close to each other, and they max out at 10 people per pod. “There will never be anybody in front of or anybody behind another person,” said Barker, adding he anticipates 30,000 cut-outs of fans to fill the empty seats. Barker, who has been in Tampa Bay since Jan. 4, said the stadium has endured a rigorous and daily cleaning. “And as we get three days out, we’ll up those efforts in cleaning and sanitizing and disinfecting everything,” he said. By kickoff, the NFL estimates, it will have gone through roughly 200,000 health screenings for individuals working at the event, including staff. BioReference Laboratories, a diagnostics company, is supporting the NFL’s health and safety efforts at Super Bowl LV. The company is expected to distribute 35,000 PCR tests to staff and vendors at the stadium. And to limit contact, the NFL partnered with Visa to offer cashless transactions with reverse ATMs and said concourses will flow in two different directions. In Tampa Bay, Mayor Jane Castor issued an outdoor mask mandate surrounding destinations near the Super Bowl. Epidemiologist Kissler said the limited capacity and outdoor atmosphere, plus having vaccinated fans, should help, but he cautioned, “We still don’t know for sure how much the vaccine prevents the spread of Covid-19.” » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC Classic: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCclassic Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. The News with Shepard Smith is CNBC’s daily news podcast providing deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day’s most important stories. Available to listen by 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT daily beginning September 30: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/the-n... Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-cred... #CNBC #CNBCTV
