California Installs Mask Mandate During Super Bowl LVI | Did Super Bowl Fans Follow the Requirements?
Super Bowl LVI marks the second big game happening amid the COVID pandemic, prompting California state officials and the National Football League to impose rules such as mask mandate to keep the audience and players safe.
The NFL has issued guidelines for people watching from the stands, including a mask mandate ordering spectators over age two to wear a mask while inside the stadium despite vaccination status, according to a People report.
In addition, those five years and older are required to show that they are negative for COVID with either a PCR test taken within 48 hours or an antigen test taken within 24 hours.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts said that enforcing the mask mandate can be difficult. However, he said that they entrusted spectators to follow guidelines out of respect for themselves and others.
Butts said that one cannot enforce everybody to wear a mask all the time, adding that it is the responsibility of the people to take care of themselves in the end.
Days before Super Bowl LVI, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with local health officials have made it clear that masking is still a requirement with the Super Bowl on Sunday.
The mask mandate in California is set to be lifted next week but will remain active during Super Bowl on Sunday, according to a KSBY News report.
Bars and restaurants will have to comply with the indoor mask mandate in accordance with the CDC Guidelines.
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California Mask Mandate and Super Bowl LVI
Forbes earlier reported that this year's Super Bowl will have around 120 million viewers of the games, with 70,000 fans to attend the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Each spectator will be given an N95 mask and attendees will be told, by workers and signs, to wear their masks whenever they are not eating or drinking.
Guests will be fined $500 by LA County Health authorities if they were to go mask-less.
Fox News' Clay Travis tweeted an incident wherein celebrities were shown without a mask during Super Bowl. He further noted that every kid in California will have to be wearing masks tomorrow in their schools, according to a Fox News report.
Travis was reportedly referring to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who responded to criticism for being spotted without a mask at a recent Rams game, saying that he holds his breath when he removes his masks for photos.
Television personality Ellen DeGeneres was also seen without a mask despite being in a show that requires guests to wear one.
Meanwhile, the NFL's chief medical officer, Allen Sills, noted that players who tested positive will not play in the Super Bowl.
He added that if there is a player within the team environment or coach or staff member who has obvious symptoms, no one wants that individual "to spread that around the team."
Sills said that the majority of NFL players are vaccinated against COVID, with about 95 percent of players have been vaccinated and around 10 percent have received boosters.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
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