PHILADELPHIA — City officials said it’s “unlikely” the Eagles will be able to have fans in the stands for their home opener at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 20 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“All I can say right now is under our current rules, they would not be allowed to have fans in the stands,” city health commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said during a briefing Thursday. “I would say it’s going to be unlikely that that situation will change by Sept. 20.”
The NFL is letting local regulations dictate whether fans attend games in 2020, and it is leading to a variety of different plans across the country.
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On Wednesday, the Washington Football Team announced it would not have fans in attendance for its home games at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, this season, though the announcement did leave the team with some leeway to have fans in attendance if the coronavirus situation improves.
The Eagles are scheduled to open the season at Washington on Sept. 13. They’re slated to host the Rams a week later at the Linc in South Philly.
The Ravens submitted a plan to the city of Baltimore on Wednesday that would allow for 7,500 fans to attend games at M&T Bank Stadium. That was down from the 14,000 the team proposed last month.
The Cowboys unveiled their plans for hosting fans at the massive AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the indication from the team has been that they will attempt to have attendance at its home games this season. The Eagles are scheduled to play at the Cowboys in Week 16 on Dec. 27.
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Last month, the city waffled on whether fans would be allowed at Eagles home games this season after Mayor Jim Kenney issued a moratorium on large public events through February 2021.
“I do not think that they can have spectators at those games,” Farley said July 14. “There’s no way for them to be safe having a crowd there.”
A day later, the city issued a clarification. The city said it remained in communication with the Eagles in the “fluid situation.”
Later in July, the NFL announced all fans in attendance at games this season would need to wear masks, while the Eagles sent an email to season ticket holders explaining that if fans are allowed in 2020, there will be social distancing in the seating bowl, among other safety precautions.
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After Farley was asked about the possibility of the Eagles having home games, Kenney was asked about other large events with fans, including the Army-Navy game, which is scheduled to take place at Lincoln Financial Field in December. His answer seemed applicable to most situations regarding fans in the stands at the Linc.
“If the numbers continue to improve and it’s medically safe to do it, yeah,” Kenney said. “And if it’s not medically safe to do it, no.”
On Thursday, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced 185 additional confirmed cases of the coronavirus, which brings the city’s total to 31,910 cases. The city announced no new deaths because of the virus, which leaves the toll at 1,709 total deaths.
The state of Pennsylvania reported 991 new cases Thursday, which is the highest number this month. The statewide total is 122,121 cases, with 7,409 total deaths from the coronavirus.
Daniel Gallen covers the Philadelphia Eagles for PennLive. He can be reached at [email protected] You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Philadelphia Eagles coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
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