As baseball season kicks off, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants are opening up sections of their stadiums that offer areas only for fully vaccinated people, but fans in those sections still have to wear masks.
The Dodgers released a statement explaining the new measure, saying that certain sections of their stadium will be reserved for fully vaccinated fans, which means that at least two weeks have passed since they got the final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Children between the ages of 2 and 15 are also allowed to sit in the area if they can provide evidence that they tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of being admitted to the stadium.
If someone has a ticket for a full vaccinated-only section and cannot show proof that they are fully vaccinated or give the required verification, they will be denied entry.
The statement adds, “Social distancing will not be required in a fully vaccinated-only section. Persons seated in these sections will be seated directly next to other parties.” However, the team also says that “Face coverings must be worn in the fully vaccinated-only sections, except while actively eating and/or drinking in the ticketed seat.”
The San Francisco Giants will offer similar fully vaccinated sections at their games, but still require face coverings to be worn “at all times except while actively eating or drinking.”
The Miami Heat imposed a similar vaccination-only section at their games, but recently decided to get rid of the areas when they became too much of an “operational challenge.” Right after the program was introduced, Republican Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis signed an executive order banning the use of vaccine passports in Florida, but the Heat said that the reason for their dismantling the program was not in response to DeSantis’ order.
The Daily Wire reported earlier this month that California would be lifting all of its COVID-19 restrictions by June 15 — except for the mask mandate. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said at the time, “We are announcing today that on June 15th we will be moving beyond the blueprint and we will be getting rid of the colored tiers. We’ll be moving past the dimmer switch. We will be getting rid of the blueprint as you know it today. That’s on June 15 if we continue the good work.”
“In anticipation and expectation that we do all of the above and I will repeat — to continue to wear face coverings, continuing to access vaccines, and continuing to administer vaccines in an equitable framework. If we keep the pace, we are now moving beyond the (reopening tiered) blueprint,” he said.
California’s COVID-19 government website says, “Masks prevent people from getting and spreading COVID-19. Every Californian must wear a mask or face covering in all public and workplace settings where there is a high risk of exposure. This is more important than ever with new, more easily transmitted variants of COVID-19 on the rise.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site says that people who are fully vaccinated should “keep taking precautions—like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—in public places until we know more.”
The CDC guidelines also state that if someone is fully vaccinated, they should not “Visit indoors, without a mask, with people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19” or “Attend medium or large gatherings.”
However, the CDC also contends that if someone is fully vaccinated and exposed to COVID-19, he or she does not need to quarantine or get tested if the person is not exhibiting any symptoms.