DENVER, Colorado — The Colorado Rockies announced that some fans will be allowed back at Coors Field this spring, but there is no word on when people will be allowed back into Ball Arena to watch the Avalanche or Nuggets play.
In an interview posted to Twitter Friday night, a spokesperson with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) said that is due to a difference in regulations for indoor and outdoor venues.
Matt Bell, the vice president of venue booking with KSE, said that due to Denver's current status on the COVID dial, Ball Arena is not allowed to apply for a variance.
"Our goal is to submit a variance when the time is right, but right now where we fall on the Colorado COVID dial precludes us from doing so," Bell said. "We'll wait for that right time and we'll be ready for it when it comes."
The interview was in response to a news article that spread on Twitter Thursday claiming the reason fans weren't allowed back in Ball Arena was because KSE hadn't applied for a variance.
KSE owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids and Colorado Mammoth.
Denver is currently under Level Yellow on the state's COVID-19 dial with a seven-day case average of 107 per 100,000, and that number has ticked up slightly in recent days.
To move to Level Blue, the city needs to get below 100 cases per 100,000, and it must remain there for at least seven days.
The Rockies said they will host 12,500 fans beginning on Opening Day, Thursday, April 1, which is equivalent to 25% of Coors Field’s capacity.
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