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California To Allow Fans To Attend Games At Outdoor Stadiums; No 49ers Games Yet

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — For a brief moment, it looked as if the next 49ers home game could have had some fans in attendance after California made some new modifications to its coronavirus reopening plan.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, California's Health and Human Services secretary, announced several changes to the state's reopening plan at his Tuesday press conference.

Per the new guidelines, pro sports stadiums and arenas can let a limited number of fans in as long as the facility is in a county that has reached the Orange Tier. Capacity will be capped at 20 percent and fans will need to wear masks. Further, the guidelines state only people from within 120 miles of the stadium can buy tickets.

Despite Levi's Stadium meeting being able to meet those requirements, however, local health officials snuffed out any reopening plans for the foreseeable future.

After news spread of the rule change, the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health announced that the county had no plans to reopen either sporting stadiums or theme parks.

"We must all continue to prioritize reducing the spread of COVID-19, creating conditions that will allow our businesses, schools, and other community organizations to operate safely," said a statement from the county's public health department. "As we see COVID-19 rates rising in states across the U.S., and as we enter the winter months when risk will increase, we cannot take chances with the health and wellbeing of our community and forfeit the many sacrifices that have been made to slow the spread of COVID-19."

Santa Clara County, where Levi's Stadium is located, is currently in the Orange Tier. Notably, Sacramento is just within the 120 mile radius from the stadium. Roseville 49ers fans and beyond will be excluded from being able to buy tickets under the guidance.

The next 49ers home game will be on Nov. 5 against Green Bay.

In a statement, the 49ers said they were appreciative of Gov. Gavin Newsom's leadership and for the framework that will allow fans back into the stadium.

"Our organization will continue to collaborate with local public health officials to implement a plant that protects the health and wellness of all San Francisco 49ers and Levi's Stadium employees, patrons, and our community," the team wrote.

Other changes to the reopening plan released on Tuesday included the state announcing that it won't allow larger theme parks - like Disneyland or Universal Studios - to reopen until the county they're in reaches the Yellow Tier.

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Few counties have reached the Yellow Tier, but Dr. Ghaly also announced on Tuesday that San Francisco had managed to move into that category. Once a county reaches that lowest tier, indoor restaurants, places of worship, theaters, museums, zoos and aquariums can reopen up to 50 percent capacity.

Several more sparsely populated counties are also in the Yellow Tier, including Alpine, Humboldt, Mariposa, Modoc, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou and Trinity.

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