The Milwaukee Brewers will allow fans to attend regular season home games for the first time in 18 months.
The team made the announcement Thursday, March 4. According to a news release , the health commissioner for the city of Milwaukee approved the team's plan to begin the regular season with the stadium at 25% of total capacity. Tailgating at the stadium will not be allowed.
Opening Day at American Family Field is set for Thursday, April 1. The Brewers will play the Minnesota Twins.
The last home game with fans in attendance was in September 2019. At 25% of total capacity, more than 10,000 people would be allowed, but more fans could be allowed if Milwaukee's health metrics continue to improve, according to the release.
Brewers season ticket holders and suite holders will be contacted about attending games in the next week.
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At their Spring Training games in Arizona, the Brewers are hosting a limited number of fans.
In early February, Milwaukee eased its COVID-19 restrictions to allow venues to host events at 25% capacity, or a maximum at 250 people. However, venues can apply to host larger crowds.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , the Brewers application, which outlined their safety plans, was 350 pages long.
Milwaukee uses five gating criteria , updated every Thursday, to determine when the city should scale back its coronavirus restrictions: case positivity, testing numbers, hospital capacity, personal protective equipment supply and contact tracing. Each criterion has been labeled either green for "excellent" or yellow for "proceed with caution" since mid-January .
The Milwaukee Bucks began hosting paid fans at Fiserv Forum on Feb. 21. So far, the Bucks have welcomed about 1,800 people to each game, but the team hopes to increase that number, according to a news release. The team has implemented a number of new safety precautions including staggered entry times and mandatory COVID-19 rapid testing for anyone seated within 30 feet of the court.
On Saturday, Marquette University will host fans at its final regular season men's basketball game. The game will be held at Fiserv Forum, and attendance is by invitation only. The team will celebrate Marquette Day and Senior Day.
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