Phillies Home Opener Could Have Fans If City Eases Restrictions

Philadelphia PA

23 February, 2021

2:37 PM

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PHILADELPHIA — Officials in Philadelphia said Tuesday that some coronavirus mitigation restrictions in place could be eased next month, and fans might be back at sporting events. Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said Tuesday that restrictions in the "Safer at Home" effort to prevent the virus's spread could be eased in March. While details were not made clear Tuesday, Farley said more information on the easing would come later this week as the restrictions are set to expire Sunday. The news comes as the city's coronavirus figures trend in a positive direction. Farley reported 242 new cases and 13 more deaths Tuesday, bringing the total case count to 112,526 and the total deaths to 3,070. The week ending Feb. 2o saw 219 cases per day and a 4.3 percent positivity rate, which is slightly down from the week before which saw 249 cases per day and a 4.4 percent positivity rate. Farley said the last two months have seen a continued decrease in cases over the past two months, reporting about an 80 percent decrease since mid December. This is likely due to the pattern of respiratory viruses that peak in winter then decrease in spring and summer, not from vaccination efforts, Farley said. And with the limiting restrictions, fans could be back at sporting events but with capacity limits. Farley said it is likely fans will be able to attend the Philadelphia Phillies home opener on April 1 when they take on the Atlanta Braves. Mayor Jim Kenney said he hopes fans will be in the stands and that he wants to go to the home opener as much as anybody. "It is the beginning of spring," he said of the opener. "It's the thawing out of all we've been going through." The Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers have all requested officials to allow fans at their games. While city officials are considering allowing fans back at games, Farley the decision lies partly with state officials due to state-imposed restrictions. "We have gotten requests to have fans in the stands for both the Flyer and Sixers as well as the Phillies," Farley said. "We're looking at those, but in order for those to be granted there would have to be changes not just to the city's rules by also the state's rules." Farley said the city's restrictions cannot be less restrictive than the state's restrictions. The city eased up some restrictions over the past month, allowing indoor dining to resume and offering a way for restaurants to increase indoor capacity through ventilation standards, and allowed museums and theaters, among other industries, to resume operations with some restrictions. Full details on "Safer at Home" are here.