Raiders fans wave during a recent preseason game in Las Vegas when a stadium sign reminds them to wear face masks. The team is now saying that spectators must show proof of vaccination – and that no masks are required for those who are vaccinated. Ethan Miller / Getty Images Hide caption
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Raiders fans make waves during a recent preseason game in Las Vegas when a stadium sign reminds them to wear face masks. The team is now saying that spectators must show proof of vaccination – and that no masks are required for those who are vaccinated.
Ethan Miller / Getty Images
When the Las Vegas Raiders open their NFL season next month, the team wants their home stadium to look as normal as possible, with grandstands full of fans. There’s just one catch: in order to get in, every viewer must provide evidence that they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine. Anyone who hasn’t can still enter – after getting a chance at Allegiant Stadium.
Vaccinated fans do not have to wear masks
Spectators have to prove their vaccination status on a mobile app with a “health passport” function, said the Raiders organization. If they do, they can attend games without wearing a face mask.
Fans who have chosen to be vaccinated before entering the stadium must wear a mask due to the delay before the vaccines are fully effective.
The Raiders rules apply to the team’s first home game of the regular season – a Monday Night Football match with the Baltimore Ravens on September 13th.
The CDC says that even people who have been vaccinated should wear masks
The Raiders unveiled their new policy late Monday after Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced a postponement of his most recent masked mandate, which will open the door for large venues to hold mask-free events when all guests are vaccinated.
“This is innovative. There are no other venues in the country that do this,” Sisolak said, adding that people feel reassured attending an event where everyone is vaccinated.
In late July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidelines on masks to say, “When you are fully vaccinated to maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possible transmission to others, wear in Wear a mask indoors in public if you are doing so in an area with significant or high transmittance. “
The agency’s website currently lists Clark County – home of the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas – as a place where the level of community broadcasting is high.
Teams develop their own guidelines on vaccines, according to the NFL
The Raiders say their vaccine rule reflects Sisolak’s latest guidelines for hosting major events. The team already needed vaccines for all employees – a move that was reportedly mirrored by stadium and concession operators.
The NFL is not considering a league-wide vaccination policy that would allow teams to coordinate with local officials and health professionals and follow federal guidelines.
“We are planning full stadiums across the league for this year, but will remain flexible and adaptable if necessary,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told NPR. “As in the last season, depending on the current situation in the local markets, there may be different fan experiences in cooperation with the health authorities.”
What are other NFL teams doing?
The Raiders say their new rule makes them “the first team in the National Football League to announce a vaccine / mask ban policy”.
But they’re not the first team to announce a vaccine-related attendance policy: Last week, the New Orleans Saints said the Superdome will be open to spectators at full capacity for the first time in more than a year and a half.
Citing new local guidelines from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the team added that fans wishing to play home games must present either proof of vaccination or negative results from a COVID-19 test that occurs within 72 Hours before game time was performed.
The mayor’s guidelines apply to all events in the Superdome, as well as restaurants, bars, and other meeting places.
Both Cantrell and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards have issued an indoor mask mandate for anyone ages five and up – another guideline that the Saints and their fans will follow.
