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Many NFL teams riding out 2020 NFL season sans fans

U.S. Bank Stadium, March 2016

Several NFL teams have announced they’ll play the rest of the 2020 NFL season without fans allowed in the stands, as the Minnesota Vikings are the latest team to announce the move.

The Vikings made the following announcement about the state of things at U.S. Bank Stadium, as the team addresses operations for the four remaining home games.

After much consideration and discussion with U.S. Bank Stadium partners, the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis, we will no longer pursue hosting more than 250 fans for the remaining 2020 Vikings regular season home games.

While we have worked hard to develop a safe and responsible plan to bring back a limited number of fans, our decisions have been based on medical guidance with public health as the top priority. We take seriously Minnesota’s rising COVID infection rates and increasing hospitalizations and believe closing the final four home games to fans is the right decision to help protect our community.

Players, coaches and staff have missed the energy and passion Vikings fans bring on game day and appreciate the unwavering remote support as we enter the second half of the 2020 season. We look forward to welcoming fans back next season and recreating the special environment we all enjoy at U.S. Bank Stadium. To be in a position to do that, we strongly encourage everyone in Minnesota to take the necessary precautions to minimize the spread of this virus by wearing face coverings, practicing proper social distancing and limiting social gatherings.

Last week the Green Bay Packers announced there would be no fans at Lambeau Field for the next home game on Nov. 15, and unless COVID-19 transmission rates decrease in the Green Bay area and in Wisconsin, there was a good chance no fans would be allowed at Lambeau Field for the remaining home games. (Given that Wisconsin is setting records for coronavirus infections and there’s a 32.78% positive rate for Brown County COVID-19 tests, we wouldn’t put money on crowds at Lambeau Field during the 2020 NFL season.) Similarly, the New England Patriots announced no fans would be allowed at Gillette Stadium for the remainder of the season.

RELATED STORIES: Super Bowl 2021: 20 percent capacity at Raymond James Stadium; Packers: No Lambeau Field fans until COVID contained; Most NFL stadiums will be empty during September play

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