At present time the Los Angeles Dodgers are planning on welcoming roughly 11,000 fans per home game at Dodger Stadium. It’s the byproduct of L.A. County reaching the red tier with respect to coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and hospitalizations dropping, and vaccinations reaching 2 million.
That cleared the way for the Dodgers to expand to 20% capacity of Dodger Stadium — along with selling food and drinks. If L.A. County remained in the red tier, the Dodgers would have been limited to 100 fans and no concessions.
The state released updated numbers on Monday, and the L.A. County adjusted case rate dropped from 4.1 new cases per 100,000 people to 3.7 new cases per 100,000 citizens. The test positivity rate dropped from 2.0% to 1.8%.
If the trend holds at current levels or declines in the case rate and test positivity rate, it is possible by early April for L.A. County to move into the orange tier. That would allow the Dodgers to increase to 33% capacity of Dodger Stadium — or approximately 18,500 fans.
However, the Department of Public Health noted L.A. County needs to remain in the red tier for three weeks prior to potentially being assigned to the orange tier. That change took effect on Sunday, March 14.
“To everyone mourning people who have passed away from COVID-19, we send you our deepest condolences,” PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “It is certainly good news that we are making progress and we appreciate compliance with Public Health directives from our L.A. County businesses and residents; we are confident that these efforts contribute to lower case rates.
“However, we remain concerned about potential risks that can thwart our progress. The risks include increased circulation of variants of concern, increasing cases across much of Europe and in many states, re-openings that are sloppy, and unsafe actions taken by individuals related to spring break and spring holidays.”
Dodgers lottery for Opening Day at Dodger Stadium
The Dodgers begin the 2021 season on the road with a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies, then face the Oakland Athletics for three games at RingCentral Coliseum.
Opening Day at Dodger Stadium isn’t until Thursday, April 9, for a matchup with the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers currently are allowing fans to enter a lottery for a chance to purchase Opening Day tickets.
Submissions must be made by 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, March 28.
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