Things are starting to go back to normal. Well, kind of. Japan and the United States are starting to open up their stadiums again but with new restrictions and rules to follow during events.

According to nytimes.com, a major rule is that only 5,000 people are allowed to attend the stadiums in Japan. The sports that people are allowed to attend in Japan are baseball and soccer. They are practicing social distancing by using only a few sections of the arena for seating, and there is a 1-2 seat gap between spectators and a gap between rows. Fans and workers have to sanitize often using the sanitizing stations. Fans have to keep your mask on unless you eat food. You have to get your temperature checked before entering the stadium. Alcohol is also banned in the stadium’s in Japan.

Probably the oddest rule is that you have to be silent. Sadly the fans are not able to do any chanting or flag waving or singing that they once could do. This is a rule to prevent the spread of the germs and the virus.

 A fan told New York Times that,  “On my way to the FC Tokyo game with a friend,almost nobody else spoke on the sparsely filled train, their noses buried in their phones or an occasional book”. Another quote from NYtimes.com states “When I was watching the games on a screen, I just wanted to come to feel the air, have the smells, hear the sounds,” Mr. Yamagami said. “It’s not like it was before, but I just had that feeling of wanting to be here.” (Photo courtesy of NYtimes.com)

Several stadiums have also opened up for the United States for sports like football and baseball are setting plans to allow fans in the stadiums with restrictions. As we are approaching The NFL’s fourth week into the season some teams are allowing fans in their stadiums. According to YahooSports.com, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are allowing 25% capacity at their next home game, the Texans will allow 13,300 fans at their game this week, and many more teams will allow very limited fans to their stadiums to watch the game. 

Thankfully, no fans in both the US and Japan have been infected with the virus while attending the stadium. Ticket holders also have to give their name and contact info in case there are any covid cases in the stadium.