It’s too soon to make any travel plans, and there is still more progress to be made, but things are trending in the right direction for New Orleans Saints fans to take their seats in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
On Tuesday, the Saints informed season ticket holders in an email that Louisiana state officials have given them the green light to host fans, beginning with a Sept. 27 home game with the Green Bay Packers. But that’s only one rubber stamp the Saints must secure to open their doors. They’re waiting on approval from the New Orleans municipal government, and that hurdle hasn’t been cleared yet.
Louisiana was an early hotspot for infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, though New Orleans itself has consistently turned in lower rates of positive test results throughout the public health crisis. While Mayor LaToya Cantrell likes what she’s seen of the Superdome’s plans to host fans for Saints game days, things haven’t settled down enough just yet for her to sign off on it.
Previously, Cantrell had said that she would agree to hold games without fans in attendance if that lined up with NFL policy and the advice of medical professionals. For its part, the NFL is allowing teams to handle things on a case-by-case basis without a blanket policy, trusting local governments to handle it.
So we’ll have to wait and see if Saints fans will be in the building once the black and gold kicks off. Right now, the Saints are scheduled to play three of their four games without fans: Week 1 at home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Weeks 2 and 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions. The Saints round out their first five weeks in home games with the Packers and Los Angeles Chargers, and it’s possible they could play all five games before their Week 6 bye without fans in attendance.
