Limited Fans Allowed To Attend Minnesota Sports Beginning April 1
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Minnesota sports fans woke up to exciting news Friday after Gov. Tim Walz announced new and expanded attendance guidelines for outdoor venues.
Along with other important information, Walz announced the following updates effective April 1:
- Seated outdoor venues can add an additional 25% of their capacity over 500, with a limit of 10,000 people.
- Non-seated outdoor venues can add an additional 15% of their capacity over 500, with a limit of 10,000 people.
Given the guidelines, a limited number of fans will now be able to attend the upcoming season opener for the Minnesota Twins.
The team released a statement shortly after Walz's announcement, expressing their excitement to welcome fans back to Target Field.
"We appreciate the continued partnership and dialogue with Governor Walz, MDH and City of Minneapolis officials throughout this process," said the organization, "We cannot wait to safely welcome Major League Baseball's best fans back into Target Field. Win Twins!"
The Minnesota Vikings also responded to the new guidelines over Twitter, sharing the importance of community support during this time.
"The return of in-person sporting events can not only help unite us as a community and bring hope to Minnesotans after such a challenging year, but it can also reanimate our downtowns and bring back thousands of visitors who support the critical hospitality industry," said Team officials.
Both teams say they are taking extra measures to ensure fans' safety in the upcoming seasons.
In their tweet, the Vikings encouraged fans to receive the vaccine as soon as they're eligible while the Twins say they're ramping up health and safety measures for opening day.
"Our singular focus remains on the health, safety and well-being of every person that enters Target Field; to that end, we are currently reviewing the new guidance to ensure our comprehensive re-opening plan adheres to all MDH and Minneapolis Health Department directives," said Twins officials.
Later in the day, the Minnesota Timberwolves joined the teams in welcoming fans back to their games.
In a statement released by team officials the Timberwolves said starting Monday, April 5 they will host the Sacramento Kings at 6:00 p.m. and the organization will begin safely welcoming season ticket members and fans inside Target Center.
"Timberwolves fans are the heartbeat of our organization and we can't wait to welcome them back to Target Center," said Timberwolves and Lynx Chief Executive Officer Ethan Casson.
The Minnesota Wild also released a statement telling fans they're excited to welcome a maximum of 3,000 fans to Xcel Energy Center, starting on Monday, April 5 when the Wild hosts the Colorado Avalanche at 7 p.m.
"Our organization has spent a tremendous amount of time and energy working in collaboration with Governor Walz and his staff, the Minnesota Department of Health as well as the other professional sports teams in town to make sure the protocols we have in place will allow our passionate fans the ability to watch Wild games in a safe and enjoyable manner," said team officials, "We have truly missed the energy and excitement our fans bring to Xcel Energy Center."
Minnesota Wild season ticket members will be given priority to purchase tickets to upcoming games and will be contacted directly in the coming days.