Outdoor Stadiums to Reopen With Fans in Texas After State Reports Weeks of New Highs in Coronavirus Cases

Newsweak ^ | 5/28/20 | Meghan Roos

[Libloather]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday that outdoor stadiums will be allowed to open to fans next month at limited capacity for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

While many state leaders have discussed the possibility of reopening stadiums to professional sports teams, most have said welcoming fans inside to watch competitions will not be possible until the country achieves better containment of the virus.

Abbott signed the proclamation as an expansion of another he announced last week that approved more businesses and services to reopen. While the original proclamation last Friday allowed professional sports teams to resume without fans starting May 31, the updated version paves the way for outdoor stadiums to fill up to 25 percent capacity, though no games will be allowed to take place under the new rules until June 15. Indoor stadiums must remain closed to fans, Abbott's order said.

All professional sports leagues must first submit a COVID-19 prevention and response plan to the Texas Department of State Health Services before it is approved to welcome spectators, Abbott's order said. The official order form on the department's website cited the contagious nature of COVID-19 and the asymptomatic trend of many who test positive as reasons for requiring stadiums and other outdoor venues to take precautions, including efforts to maintain social distancing and enhanced sanitation practices.

[norwaypinesavage]

Typical Fake News. Anyone with half a brain watching the Communist China Virus data in the US knows that incidents are getting higher only because of the huge increase in test data. The important statistic is the death rate. Texas reach its highest daily death count a couple of weeks ago (58) and is now averaging well under half of that. It actually reached ZERO 5 days ago for the first day since it started counting.