While the game will still be played with fans in attendance, the National Football League (NFL) has limited the crowd to 22,000, which is about one-third of the capacity of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The NFL has also collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to come up with protocols to help ensure the safety of attendees. The stadium has placed markers to ensure fans maintain six-foot physical distancing in common areas, face coverings must be worn at all times (except when eating and drinking), and hand sanitizer will be readily available throughout the venue. Ticketholders will be asked to confirm that they have not tested positive for, or been exposed to, COVID-19 within the last 14 days; that they have not experienced any symptoms such as fever, cough, or loss of taste or smell within the last 48 hours; and that they have not travelled anywhere subject to COVID-19-related advisories in the last two weeks. But is that enough? Lee Igel, PhD, a clinical associate professor at the NYU Tisch Institute for Global Sport in New York City, suggested in a January 25 article in Forbes magazine that even bringing together a crowd of this size (albeit smaller than the usual) may still send the wrong message about COVID-19. “Even with solid health safety protocols in place,” Dr. Igel asked, “should that many people be going to the game while the pandemic is still raging across the United States and deadly, more infective new viral variants are popping up all over the world?” Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told the New York Press Club on January 29 that if the right measures are maintained, the Super Bowl doesn’t have to become a superspreader event. “You can’t have people [sitting close] now given the level of infection. But mask wearing and limited capacity seating I think is reasonable since it’s an outdoor event, which really, really makes a difference,” said Dr. Fauci. Another factor that may reduce risk is the fact that thousands of those in attendance are expected to be healthcare workers who have been vaccinated. The NFL invited about 7,500 vaccinated healthcare employees to Super Bowl LV as guests to thank and honor them for their service during the pandemic.
Benching Party Plans
Tailgating — where people eat, drink, and socialize before kickoff from the back of their cars, or tailgates — is a game day tradition for many fans. Party planners also often organize elaborate pregame Super Bowl events that they may call “tailgate” parties — but are really just booze-and-food fests without the “cars in parking lots” part. “While they are certainly lots of fun, I would avoid tailgates and after-parties altogether,” says Robert Glatter, MD, a physician in the department of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “These are the activities that truly increase your chance of acquiring the virus. Such activities place lots of people in close quarters with less chance that people will consistently wear masks and social distance.” The Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee says that tailgating is not allowed in NFL-controlled lots due to space and only ticketholders can park in designated parking locations. The 2021 Players Tailgate Party (which is usually packed with active NFL players, celebrities, and celebrity chefs) has been canceled. The NFL is hoping virtual entertainment will help curb the public appetite for big get-togethers. Miley Cyrus is headlining the NFL TikTok Tailgate Super Bowl Pregame Show. Fans watching from home in the United States and Canada can tune into @NFL on TikTok for access to two hours of live, exclusive pregame content.
How to Be a COVID-Conscious Couch Potato
Last year, the TV audience for the game topped 100 million, according to The Wall Street Journal, and those numbers could be just as massive this year. “Families, friends, and neighbors will want to get together to watch the Super Bowl. It’s a wonderful American tradition,” says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of preventive medicine and health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. “I don’t think many people will want to be wearing masks while they’re noshing on their nachos and cheering their teams or moaning or groaning when somebody drops the ball,” Dr. Schaffner cautions. “These are ideal environments for the virus because people will be close together for prolonged periods of time, most likely indoors.” When it comes to any kind of Super Bowl plans, the Associated Press reports that NIAID Director Fauci is advising the public to “just lay low and cool it.” Speaking Wednesday at a White House briefing, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, said, “Whichever team you’re rooting for and whichever commercial is your favorite, please watch the Super Bowl safely, gathering only virtually or with the people you live with.” The NFL is encouraging people to stay home with the family for this Super Bowl. People will inevitably gather around TVs to celebrate, but you can still take steps to organize viewing parties that reduce the risks of transmitting or contracting the coronavirus.
8 Ways to Protect Yourself and Guests
Here are eight things you can do to protect yourself and others while watching the big game. Limit the number of people who come. “The safest way to watch the Super Bowl is with people in your ‘pod’ or who live in your household,” says Dr. Glatter. Pods or “bubbles” are small groups of people who limit their nondistanced social interaction to one another. “Inviting others into your home elevates risk of viral transmission,” he adds. Throw a virtual watch party. One of the safest options would be to stream the game free (on CBSSports.com, for example), and then share the screen with your Zoom mates to watch together. Or you can all watch the game on your home screens, but interact as a group via Zoom. CNet and Wired provide a few options for setting up a successful virtual party. Watch the game outside, if possible. Weather permitting, Schaffner suggests that some football fans might consider hosting an outdoor Super Bowl bash — if they can keep guests warm and set up a viewing screen outside. “You might be able to start the party outside and then go inside just for the game,” if you take the appropriate indoor precautions, he says. Ventilate your indoor space. If viewing the game indoors, open windows and doors or place central air and heating on continuous circulation. Tell guests to wear masks. Remind guests to wear face coverings and keep a few extra on hand in case someone forgets theirs. Fans will naturally have to take off masks to eat and drink, but Glatter warns that food and alcohol served indoors can cause trouble. “Just taking off your mask to eat or drink elevates risk of transmission from aerosolization of viral particles in small droplets,” he says. “And with alcohol being served, the tendency to speak louder increases the risk of more droplets being generated and further viral spread. Aerosols can remain in a closed space with poor ventilation up to three hours.” If people can take food and drink breaks outside, that can lower chances of transmitting the virus. Keep everyone socially distant. The CDC (which offers its own Super Bowl party tips) recommends that you sit at least six feet away from people you don’t live with. You might set up chairs spaced far enough apart that they will help guide your guests to keep their distance. Put out hand sanitizer. Encourage your visitors to frequently disinfect their hands with sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol (as per CDC advice). Bring your own food, drinks, plates, cups, utensils, and condiment packets. Sharing dips, chips, wings, and other snacks is usually a big part of the game day celebration. But food sharing means potential virus sharing. If guests bring their own spread, it can cut the chances of spreading disease.
