MIAMI (WSVN) - Fans who will attend this weekend’s series between the Miami Marlins and the New York Yankees at loanDepot park will be recommended to wear a mask while at the ballpark.
As the two teams prepare for their three-game series, COVID-19 cases throughout South Florida have been surging due to the delta variant, causing county leaders to recommend mask-wearing in all public settings.
Masks, however, will not be mandatory for the weekend series at the ballpark. The Marlins said they expect upwards of 30,000 fans each day for the three-game series.
While masks are not mandatory, the team said in a statement they are “strongly encouraging fans 2 years and older — regardless of vaccination status — to wear a mask while inside loanDepot park per recommendation of CDC and Miami-Dade County health officials.”
Marlins fan Brian Baumeister said he probably will not wear a mask while attending the weekend games.
“I probably won’t, not unless people start coughing all over me, and I feel safer with it on,” he said. “Other than that, I’m vaccinated. I’ve never gotten COVID, and I just take proper precautions.”
“Being vaccinated, I think, gives you that kind of comfort,” a Yankees fan said.
However, some fans decided to mask up due to the expected crowd size.
On Friday, Florida reported more than 17,000 new cases and 75 deaths. This week alone, Florida reported 110,477 new cases. That compares to 23,562 cases during the first week of July, and the positivity rate rose from 7.8% during the first week to 18.1% this week.
Both Miami-Dade and Broward counties have mandated mask-wearing inside county buildings.
“It’s just far more contagious,” Broward Mayor Steve Geller said. “You can’t tell who’s vaccinated and who’s unvaccinated, so therefore, we have to recommend everybody to wear a mask.”
Private businesses, meanwhile, will have a choice whether or not to mandate masks for both employees and customers.
Publix Supermarkets said as of Aug. 2, employees will be required to wear masks, and guests at Walt Disney World will be required to wear a mask while indoors.
Local officials said the best way for the public to protect themselves against the virus is to get vaccinated.
“Ninety-five percent of the people who are hospitalized are not vaccinated,” City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said. “If you’re not vaccinated, then you’re taking a significant risk, and that’s something we want people to know.”
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