Fans Flock To Golden 1 Arena For California Classic Summer League Games

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Thousands of people packed Golden 1 Center Tuesday night for California Classic Summer League game one.

COVID 19 safety protocols depended mostly on the honor system, as the Delta variant spreads fast in Sacramento County.

The owner of the Kings said in a statement Golden 1 was accepting fans at full capacity and there were a lot of signs outside the arena reminding people to wear their masks. CBS 13 spoke to several fans who said they appreciated that because it made them feel safe enough to come

"I'm a die-hard Warriors fan so I figured this would be a chance to see them play," said Arlysia Harris.

The excitement from fans was mixed in with the COVID 19 safety they are all too familiar with.

"It's weird because it's been a year or two now and I'm used to it but it's just so different from what life was way before," Harris said.

Mask mandatory signs are back up in Sacramento County for all people who attend indoor events, vaccinated or not. This is thanks to the surging delta variant.

Some fans noticed extra enforcement outside of the stadium too.

"At our hotel, at the front door it said 'mask mandatory' but some of the older signs said it was optional. So I like that they updated their policy to try and keep up with everything going on with delta," said Natasha Grant, from Mendocino County.

According to a spokesperson at Golden 1 Center, fans attending the classic summer league games "are agreeing that they have either been vaccinated 14 days prior or received a negative COVID test within 72 hours." It's an honor system.

"I don't think there's any way to regulate whether or not people are vaccinated," Grant said.

The Sacramento County Health Department says universal indoor use of masks is the most immediately impactful way to slow down the surging rate of infection.

"It doesn't bother me at all. We just wear our mask, be safe, keep our distance, and we're good," said Armand Harris.