Dolphins reveal mock-up plan to host fans at stadium amid coronavirus pandemic
The Miami Dolphins have put together early plans for how to host fans in their stadium during the 2020 NFL season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
During a Monday segment with "Good Morning America," Dolphins CEO/president Tom Garfinkel revealed mock-ups of new entrances into Hard Rock Stadium that would help people adhere to social distancing guidelines.
"We would have times to come in for security at different gates so people would be separated out, in terms of when they enter the stadium," Garfinkel said. "We would exit the stadium much like a church environment, where each row exits so people aren't filing out all at the same time in a herd."
The mock-up including colored spots on the ground leading up to entrance gates to designate the distance needed between fans as they file into the stadium. It's a plan not unlike what some restaurants have done for customers picking up takeout orders during the pandemic.
Garfinkel said this mock-up plan would include all fans wearing masks and ordering food from their seat then go upstairs and pick it up rather than waiting in line for concession.
Hard Rock Stadium can hold approximately 65,000 fans for a football game, but the Dolphins said they might be down to 15,000 fans for the next season as they adjust to a different setup.
Hard Rock Stadium became the first public facility to earn the Global Biorisk Advisory Council's STAR accreditation, the standard used for facilities to implement cleaning, disinfecting and infectious disease prevention work practices to control risks involved with infectious agents like the coronavirus. (The GBAC is a division of ISSA, a worldwide trade association for the cleaning industry.)
The accreditation paves the way for Hard Rock Stadium to reopen and host fans for events once the NFL and the government give clearance for activities to resume.
There haven't been any finalized plans from the NFL, but the Dolphins wanted to have their plan in place.
"When our fans, players and staff are able to return to Hard Rock Stadium, we want them to have peace of mind that we're doing everything we can to create the safest and healthiest environment possible," Garfinkel said. "We didn't want to create our own standard, we wanted to be accountable to the most credible third-party standard that exists. Working with the GBAC ensures compliances with critical guidelines for the highest standard of cleanliness and it is our hope that other venues will follow suit as we navigate through these unprecedented times."
The NFL is planning to begin its season Sept. 10 and hold the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida, as originally scheduled, but it has discussed contingency plans such as pushing the season back to October or playing in empty stadiums. The NFL schedule will be released this week, and the league says it will adjust its plans if necessary.
The league is evaluating when players can reenter team facilities. The NFL and NFL Players Association -- both of which have a COVID-19 task force -- have agreed to keep buildings closed until each state in which a team resides lifts its stay-at-home mandate. Teams are prepared to conduct offseason workouts and June minicamps virtually. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said he will not accept a salary during the pandemic.
The league raised more than $100 million for coronavirus relief during the NFL draft.
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