COLORADO, USA — Fans will be allowed back in the stands at Coors Field this season, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said Thursday.
CDPHE said the team applied for a variance from some COVID-19 restrictions and that request has been approved, pending a few adjustments.
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.
This is the first time Colorado Rockies fans will return to the stands since 2019. The pandemic kept fans from attending games at Coors Field in 2020.
The Rockies and CDPHE said they will continue to monitor the conditions, with the hope of safely adding to the capacity number in the future.
"To create a safe and healthy experience for fans, players and staff, the Rockies have implemented all required CDPHE, CDC and MLB policies and guidelines," said the Rockies in a statement Friday.
Currently, Denver is under the Yellow Level 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 the Blue Level, the city needs to get below 100 cases per 100,000, and it must remain there for at least seven days.
Denver has been approved for the state's Five Star program, which allows businesses to operate at restrictions that are one level above, however, the state has said that they need to reach the goal of 70% of people over 70 vaccinated before anyone can move to the blue level through the program. The state has set a goal to meet that threshold by the end of February.
Educators, child-care workers and people 65 and older are also currently eligible to receive the vaccine. Essential workers are next in line.
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