Public in the 2021 MLB season?

Although it has already been seen in a limited way in spring training, people in the stadiums seems to be the usual thing in many of the teams that make up the Major League circuit that begin on April 1 with the L.A. Dodgers defending their title.

The first to announce this measure were, precisely, the monarchs of Los Angeles and the San Diego Padres, the club that made the best signing. It is necessary to clarify that in last year's shortened season with a 60-game schedule, no public was allowed until the championship series when it was only played in stadiums.

Of course, there is no way to predict the outcome of these decisions, when Covid19 is still active around the world. In the 2020 season, there were isolated cases in the Miami Marlins and St. L. Cardinals, because, although there was no public, there was also no bubble and all the franchises had to move through the whole country.

Spring training, new sensations

353 days have passed since that already distant March 12th, 2020 when the last preseason game was held with an audience present so that a match could be played again under these conditions in the framework of Spring training with fans in the 2021 campaign of the Major League Baseball.

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How was it achieved? The leaders of Major League Baseball (MLB), mainly guided by the Players Union, established a strict health and biosafety protocol program that they consider gives them many guarantees. Of course, the capacity in most cases is between 15% and 25% according to the capacity of the park , with the exception of the Texas Rangers stadium.

Some of the scenarios that are serving for Spring training with the presence of fans are in the Cactus Spring Training League in southern Arizona, where the Arizona Diamondbacks are preparing at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (Scottsdale), as well as Colorado Rockies .

Also, the Chicago Cubs train at Sloan Park Stadium in Mesa, the Chi Sox at Camelback Ranch Stadium in Glendale; Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark, as did the Cleveland Indians, while the Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers used Surprise Stadium , in the city of Surprise, while the Milwaukee Brewers trained at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix .

Undoubtedly, a very different story from last year, when the preseason was cut abruptly for reasons already known.

St. Louis said yes

The Sint Louis Cardinals will be one of the teams that will be able to play their home games with the support of their people in the stadiums. “We thank Mayor Lyda Krewson's office, Health Director Dr. Fredrick Echols, and the City of St. Louis Department of Health for partnering with us to develop a comprehensive reopening plan that meets all requests of the health protocol of our city,” the club said in a statement, which Conlasbasesllenas.com replied.

It is certain that fans who have their season cards will have priority for the first two games. Instead, the sale of tickets to the general public will be announced shortly . In this regard, Mayor Lyda Krewson noted: “St. Louis is a baseball city in it's core, and I know our fans are ready to return to Busch Stadium for another exciting season! Thanks to a comprehensive and thoughtful reopening plan that prioritizes the health and safety of all ”, reflected the same media.

Also, Echols assured that the rate of positive cases after the percentage of people examined fell considerably below 5% for the first time since September 15th, 2020 and, in that sense, highlighted the diligence of the Cardinals to guarantee a safe environment for your staff and fans in general.

California too

In the case of the state of California, the permits are extended to outdoor sporting events in general, although in reduced numbers, as of April 1st, such as Disneyland and live shows in open spaces .

The announced rules favor all the clubs in this jurisdiction such as the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Angels, and the Oakland Athletics.

Mark Ghaly, California's chief public health official, reported that the state decided to intervene due to the reduction in new cases of infections and hospitalizations due to Covid19. In unison, the number of people receiving the vaccine increased.

What California decided to do was divide the county into four different colors to refer to the levels of spread of the coronavirus. Purple is the most restrictive, followed by red, orange, and yellow .

These stages will be able to receive public under the red color at 15% of capacity , and only California residents will be able to purchase tickets. The limit will increase to 25% in orange and 35% in yellow .

"The objective is to take advantage of some convincing scientific data on the way in which the virus behaves and that the activities, carried out in a certain way, can reduce the risk", complemented the specialist to ESPN Deportes.