PITTSBURGH _ Pennsylvania high school sports events now have Gov. Tom Wolf's blessing to permit bigger crowds outdoors and indoors. The Steelers and Pitt are allowed to start having fans, too.
Wolf's office on Tuesday announced new gathering limits for Pennsylvania. The limits go into effect Friday and are based on a percentage of maximum occupancy. The new limits allow up to 7,500 people at an outdoor facility that has maximum occupancy of more than 10,000. The first major event with that upper-end capacity in place will be Sunday's Steelers-Eagles game.
Under the guidance provided by the governor's office, we are limited to 7,500 total in the stadium, which includes players, coaches, stadium staff, etc.," Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. "Based on these limitations, we will only be able to make available to our fans approximately 5,500 seats in the lower seating bowl at Heinz Field. Priority will be given to our season ticket holders who did not opt out this season. Seat selection opportunities will be based on a computer-generated random selection of season ticket holder accounts. Unfortunately, we may not have tickets available for all season ticket holders for this game."
Alco Parking's Ralph Reetz told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that some lots _ mostly between PNC Park and Heinz Field _ will be accessible for fans attending games. One of the two parking garages in that area may also be available. Fans may arrive up to three hours before a game but are expected to head to the stadium or nearby North Shore restaurants once parked.
"I know that as a football team, we'll be excited if we have an opportunity to perform in front of fans in our home venue," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. "They inspire us and we look forward to entertaining them."
Pitt football's next home game is Oct. 24 against Notre Dame. When it comes to Penn State, because of guidelines related to the Big Ten's return to play, only families will be allowed at Beaver Stadium for football games.
"This updated directive on stadium capacity will most directly allow families of our football student-athletes and essential staff involved in the game day operation to be present this fall," a Penn State spokeswoman said in a statement. "We are pleased to be able to accommodate those closest to our football program and enable them to cheer on their family members."
Both the Steelers and Pitt said in August that fans wouldn't be allowed in Heinz Field through at least September. These new gathering limits, however, will be somewhat of a relief for high schools, which have wrestled for weeks with how to manage games under Wolf's previous gathering limits of 250 outdoors and 25 indoors. But some schools were already allowing more than 250 fans at football games.
Wolf's new limits for outdoor events are:
_ 25% of maximum capacity in a facility that holds 1-2,000 people.
_ 20% of maximum capacity for a facility that hold 2,001 to 10,000.
_ 15% of maximum capacity or a limit of 7,500 people for a facility that holds over 10,000.
Some high schools were allowing fewer than 100 fans at football games and no fans at girls volleyball games inside gymnasiums. The new indoor limits will certainly change things for high schools _ and for basketball if the limits are still in effect. For example, a high school gym that holds 1,000 people can now take 200 fans.
Here are the new indoor limits:
_ 20% of maximum capacity in a facility that holds 1 to 2,000.
_ 15% of maximum capacity in a facility that holds 2,001 to 10,000 people.
_ 10% of maximum capacity or a limit of 3,750 people for a facility that holds over 10,000.
That means Penguins hockey games, should the limits be in effect and the NHL play games at home arenas, will be permitted to have approximately 1,800 people at PPG Paints Arena. Pitt basketball games at Petersen Events Center could host about 1,250.
Wolf's new gathering limits require that fans still wear masks, social distance and follow local restrictions.
"Pennsylvanians must continue to social distance and wear masks as we prepare to fight the virus through the fall and winter," Wolf said in a statement. "Regardless of the size of an event or gathering, those things are still imperative to stopping the spread of COVID. We know everyone has sacrificed in many ways and today's announcement reflects a gradual adjustment to our lives as we learn how we can do things safely until we have a cure, or an effective vaccine is widely available.
"We will closely monitor cases and outbreaks and if our case investigation and contact tracing efforts determine that events or gatherings are the source of an outbreak, we can and will dial back these new limits," said Rachel Levine, the state's health secretary. "Public health and safety are our first concern and will always remain as such."
Bob Lombardi, PIAA executive director, said the organization is "pleased" with the relaxed standards.
"We believe it will really help in getting all parents and guardians into games, especially in girls volleyball and water polo," Lombardi said. "The other (outdoor) numbers, I think schools can work with, especially in getting at least the parents, cheerleaders and bands into the game that will create a little better atmosphere. But they'll have safe procedures in place."
The PIAA plans to have six football championships Nov. 27-28 at Hersheypark Stadium. Lombardi said capacity at the facility is 16,000. That would allow 2,400 people in attendance, which Lombardi said would suit the PIAA fine this year.
The new guidelines also raise questions about music venues and whether or not this means a return for concerts.
They went online in March when the pandemic shut things down, and in July, they shifted to drive-in movie theaters. But the weather is about to make that impractical. Brian Drusky, of Drusky Entertainment, isn't excited by the prospect of working with indoor capacities that low.
"It's possible, but the financial constraints of larger buildings will make it very difficult to do it in a profitable way," he said. "Until we get to full capacity, venues will still be struggling to survive because costs for venues, whether they be 100 cap or 20,000 cap, have expenses based on their size and business models aren't based upon only doing 25% of business."
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, for example, would be able to welcome crowds of just a few hundred into Heinz Hall. Asked for comment, Melia Tourangeau, president and CEO, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, said: "The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is encouraged by the actions of Gov. Wolf to make it possible for more people to work at and to attend concerts and events at Heinz Hall. We continue to keep the health and safety of our musicians, staff and audience as our top priority and will use government restrictions and healthy authority expertise for guidance as we navigate our way through this pandemic."
